Somebody That I Used To Know
by blink182giirl
Summary: Modern AU in which Minato is the CEO of Konoha Enterprises, Kushina is a yoga instructor, Obito is an admin, Madara owns Mangekyo Strip Club, and the OC is an exotic dancer. Not much else to be said other than mature themes ahead and slow burn. [Minato/OC story]
1. Chapter 1

"I don't want to go to a strip club," Minato said through his phone with a roll of his eyes. Jiraiya just would not take no for an answer. It must have been the fifteenth time they had this same exact conversation.

"You can't _not_ go to a strip club for your bachelor party!" Jiraiya argued.

"I think I can," Minato responded, running a hand through his bangs.

"It's not like we're talking about some shoddy place that's got cockroaches," Jiraiya began. Minato felt his nose curl at the thought. "We're talking about Mangekyo Strip Club. You know how high end that place is? It's full of executives. You'll fit right in."

Minato groaned and just wanted to throw his head on the desk. He wasn't even getting married for another few months, but his best friend and best man, Jiraiya, was going on an extended business trip for Konoha Enterprises and wouldn't be back in town until the day of the wedding. So he wanted to go out and plan the party with plenty of time in advance so he could be part of it. And while Minato appreciated the sentiment, Jiraiya should never have been allowed to plan any party of any sort.

"Kushina explicitly said no strip clubs," Minato said back.

"No she did not. She told me that strip clubs were fine as long as there was no touching. Which means we're going!"

Minato frowned. When had she said that?

"A place like that can't be cheap," Minato asked absentmindedly. While he had never been to any strip club, Mangekyo was one that was downtown and was well known for being expensive and high end with one hell of a reputation.

"Seriously?" Jiraiya said with a scoff. "Between your salary—a CEOs salary—and mine, there is no reason to be even remotely concerned about that."

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose and fought back a sigh. The CEO thing was still new to him, and due to the fact that he was the youngest CEO in Konoha Enterprises history, there was a lot of pressure on him to _not_ fuck up. Somehow he didn't think that being spotted at a strip club would help alleviate any of that immense pressure.

"Jiraiya, I really don't—"

"We're picking you up tomorrow night and I don't want to hear another peep from you. See you then."

The line went dead and Minato huffed and tossed his cell phone on the glass desk, checking the watch on his wrist. It was already eleven and he was just finishing up at the office. He wouldn't get home for another twenty minutes and by then Kushina would be asleep.

Grabbing his suit jacket and briefcase, Minato left the skyscraper that was Konoha Enterprises HQ.

* * *

Nina ran her fingers through her black hair, stepping off stage and trying to catch her breath. She held the clothes she discarded during the performance against her stomach, not bothering to cover herself as she grabbed a navy silk robe that was hung up and waiting for her.

Bee would be collecting the rest of the tips she earned while she put her clothes back on and then she would be gone for the night. She wasn't even supposed to be working but she let Mei talk her into covering a shift.

Yeah, she could use the money, but this was the eighth night in a row she worked. And her feet were starting to kill her from the six inch, needle point stilettos she had to wear.

"Katia," Tsunade's voice could be heard booming over the music, referring to Nina by her stage name. Nina looked to where the House Mom was walking over to her with her hands on her hips. Nina set her clothes down on her dressing room desk and put the robe on, covering her body.

"What?" Nina asked when Tsunade got close enough that she didn't have to shout.

"Madara's looking for you," She said with a cross of her arms.

Nina immediately rolled her brown eyes and groaned. Madara was the _last person_ on Earth she wanted to deal with right now.

"No. I'm going home," Nina remarked as she rummaged through the shelves next to her desk and pulled out a pair of skin tight jeans, a white crop top, and vans.

Choosing to ignore the House Mom, Nina slipped the clothes on and when she was dressed she threw the silk robe on the pile of her wrinkled stage clothes and piled them all into her tote bag that held her makeup, accessories, and anything else she needed for work.

"You can go home after you talk to him. I'm not having him chew my ass out because you wanted to leave," Tsunade said, putting her foot down.

Nina fought back the urge to roll her eyes, knowing that Tsunade would give her shit for it if she did. The House Mom was a legend and years ago she was a dancer for another high end club but then she got tired of it and retired from the industry, with enough money to not have to work for a few years. Then she got into gambling and drinking and needed to find work again, choosing to be a House Mom where she got more money and didn't have to strap on the stilettos for it. It was great for everyone. The girls didn't have to deal with Madara, Madara didn't have to deal with them, and Tsunade was the in between for it. And normally it was great, but the blonde woman didn't take lightly to the younger girls' attitudes, Nina included.

"Fine," Nina groaned.

Tsunade smirked at her and nodded, "See you tomorrow."

Nina didn't say anything as she grabbed her black tote and left the dressing room area and headed out into the club.

Another girl was already dancing on stage, flirting with the club goers who watched as she spun on the pole in a way that made Nina's hands hurt. They were all so enticed with the way she moved her hips that no one even paid any mind to her leaving.

"Bee!" Nina called out when she saw the bouncer talking to his brother Ay, who was bartending that night.

"Hey," Bee said giving her a smile and reaching behind the bar to pull out a shoe box.

"Thank you again," She said as he handed her the box. She opened it and counted through the bills, tallying up a total of about $600 for the night. She counted out $60 for Bee, who always collected her tips for her, and another $240 for Madara.

"Seriously, Katia you don't have to tip me out," Bee tried, seeing the measly $300 that was left over for her.

"Yes, I do. Because otherwise those bitches will steal my money. It's not your fault Madara takes forty fucking percent of my tips," She grumbled.

The bouncers rarely collected tips for the girls, but Bee and Nina had been friends long enough, each working at the club for a number of years, that he made an exception for her. And even though she wished she could have tipped him out more, she always tried to give him _something_ for the trouble.

"That's fucked," Ay said, feeling her pain as Madara took a good chunk of his tips from bartending.

"Right?" Nina said with a bitter laugh as she shoved the $300 into her purse and looked around the club for her boss. "Now where is the asshole?" She remarked.

And sure enough, Madara was shaking hands with a group of men who were wearing suits that were worth probably a grand. Nina rolled her eyes and waved to Bee and Ay before approaching Madara as he walked away from the group.

"Madara," She called out.

The black haired man looked at her and gave her a smile that probably would give nightmares to children if they ever saw it. Nina held the money out to him which he took and counted, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You only made $600 tonight?" He asked over the music that was going to make them all deaf one day.

"It's a Thursday and I don't work Thursday's so my normal clients weren't here. Sue me," She retorted with a cross of her arms. Madara put his hands up as to apologize without actually saying so and pocketed the money.

"Tsunade said you were looking for me," She said when he was silent for what felt like hours.

"Yes. I wanted to let you know that I booked you for a private party tomorrow night and a champagne room as well," He said, folding his hands behind his back.

Nina blinked at him. Had he really said what she thought he said?

"I don't do those anymore," She said lowly, fighting to choke back the anger that was threatening to come to a boil.

"You are tomorrow," Madara said, giving her a forced smile.

"You can go fuck yourself if you think I'm doing that," Nina remarked, knowing full well that she was probably the only person in the entire club that could speak to Madara Uchiha like that.

Madara's eyes narrowed at her and his jaw locked the way it always did when the two of them got into spats.

She had been working for Madara for a little more than six years, starting as a busser and waitress at sixteen when she lied about her age, and moving up to a dancer at seventeen. And at twenty-two she was still there, bringing him more revenue than any of the other girls combined. It was because she had been there so long that she was able to get away with things like that, and the fact that they both knew he needed the money she brought in.

"Katia, be reasonable," He tried, using her stage name since they were in the front of the club.

"I am. Ever since that last incident in the champagne room I don't do them anymore," Nina snapped, remembering the way the jackass whipped his dick out and thought he could just fuck her because she was 'only a stripper'.

He got a fake nail in his eye and Madara got an earful of how she would never work private parties or champagne rooms ever again.

" _Katia_ ," He growled, trying to keep himself in check since there were so many people in the club. He wouldn't risk the friendly persona he wore around his clients.

"Madara," She said back.

"This man is the CEO for—"

"You know how many CEO's are here?" Nina snapped back, getting a little too loud for her boss's liking.

"Just this one time!" He snapped, throwing his hands up in the air. Nina felt her eye twitch. He must have been pretty desperate.

"Have Mei work it!" She tried. The redhead who worked with her loved working private parties and she would have jumped all over it since they usually brought in more tips.

"These men want my best dancer which happens to be you," Madara tried to explain with his nose curled like a wolf's when it snarled.

"Sounds like a personal problem," Nina said with a smirk.

"I'll give you whatever you want if you just fucking work this for me," Madara begged through his teeth. Nina raised an eyebrow at his pleading tone and before she knew it, a smirk slithered across her face, making a dimple pierce one cheek.

"I want eighty percent of my tips," She said, looking at him triumphantly.

"Sixty-five,"

"Eighty,"

"Seventy,"

"Eighty or I'm not doing it," Nina remarked. She knew full well who held the power in this situation.

Madara brushed back his wild black hair and groaned, "Fine! Fine whatever! Will you do it?" He shouted, earning the stares from the bartenders who were only a few steps away.

"Yes sir," Nina said with a grin, shaking Madara's hand.

"Sometimes I fucking hate you," Madara grumbled under his breath as he stalked off.

* * *

This is also over on Archive of our Own in case anyone reading this prefers that site better. I'm under blairxriles there. Link is in my profile if you want it!

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

Minato had been sitting on the couch in his and Kushina's living room, letting his head fall back against the cushions. He didn't even bother changing out of his work clothes since getting home. He wore the same grey slacks and wrinkled white dress shirt that was rolled to his elbows.

"You don't look very excited," A voice said as the door opened.

Minato just barely managed to lift his head to see Kushina walking through the door of their condo. She was in tight leggings and a loose fitting, long sleeved shirt, carrying a yoga mat that was slung over her shoulder. He lazily looked at his watch. Her class should have ended two hours ago, yet she was just getting home.

He didn't bother asking about it. He was just too damn tired.

"I just want to sleep," Minato answered. She walked over to him and pressed a brief kiss to his lips, the same way she always had since they were sixteen. At twenty-four it still hadn't changed.

"You don't _have_ to go out," She hummed, walking into the kitchen and making tea like she always did after class.

"Tell Jiraiya that," He grumbled, running his entire hand over his face. He had no idea what the older man had in store for the night, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.

"Just remember what I told you," She started, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and giving him a look that was too heavy to be trusting. "No touching, no one-on-one dances, and no getting black out drunk."

Minato raised an eyebrow when he looked at her, sitting up straight as he did. She was already turning away from him though and straining the tea leaves.

"When have I ever gotten black out drunk?"

He never got an answer though as his phone buzzed on the glass coffee table.

Leaning forward, Minato saw the text from Jiraiya that he said he was there, and that he had better get his ass outside before he came up there. Minato scoffed and reluctantly stood up, making sure he had his phone, wallet, and keys.

He walked over to where Kushina was sipping her tea with her eyes shut and put his hands on her waist.

"You know I wouldn't do anything, right?" He asked with a frown, trying to make eye contact with her. She kept her gaze focused on the ground before clearing her throat and giving him a big, cheesy smile.

"I know. It's Jiraiya I worry about. Have fun?" She kissed him again, softer this time, longer too. He sighed against her lips and pulled away, taking his hands off her waist as he did.

"Oh yeah. Loads of fun," He groaned sarcastically, giving her a smile as he headed toward the door, "Love you."

It wasn't until he closed the front door that he realized she hadn't said it back.

* * *

"We good for tonight?" Madara asked as Nina put her makeup on in the back.

"Stop hovering," Nina remarked as she applied her false eyelashes.

" _Nina_ ," Madara growled with his arms crossed.

Nina looked at her boss's reflection in the vanity. The fact he was using her real name and not stage name meant he was stressing big time over this group of VIP's coming in, which was unusual for the frightening Uchiha man.

"As long as you give me my eighty percent, we're golden," Nina confirmed. She had already told Tsunade, who made Madara get it in writing, so there was no way he could fuck her over with the money.

"You're such a pain in my ass," Madara hissed. The irritation went in one ear and out the other. She had been so used to the man that there wasn't much he could do to intimidate her anymore.

"Keep it up and I'm not taking your VIP to a champagne room," Nina teased, fluffing the eyelashes that finally adhered to her skin.

Madara cursed under his breath, and after finally having enough of her, stormed off.

Nina let herself laugh freely. She still had no idea who had enough money and influence to stress Madara out, and she had no idea who specifically requested her for a champagne room since she had sworn them off, but whoever it was must have been one hell of an important guy.

But it didn't really matter who it was because it was just another night at work for her, and that was it.

* * *

Mangekyo Strip Club had held up to all of the rumors that Minato had heard about it. It was high end, sleek, classy, and one fine establishment if it weren't for the naked girls on the different stages.

It was more of a lounge than it was a club, filled with black walls, leather couches, cool lighting, and a massive bar that had every type of alcohol imaginable. As a businessman, he could appreciate the time and effort that went into maintaining this type of space, but as a soon-to-be-husband who was here for his bachelor party, he was terrified of it.

"We've already paid the club owner a hefty price, so all the alcohol is on the house tonight. What're you drinking?" Jiraiya asked with a grin.

Minato sighed. He already wanted to leave. This was too much for him and he just wanted to go home and lie on his couch.

"Vodka on the rocks," Minato answered, pushing back his bangs in a moment of stress. Jiraiya grinned and went to the bar, ordering drinks with the rest of the group. Just about every single one of the higher ups at Konoha Enterprises was there, with the exception of the VP, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He said his days of going to strip clubs were over, but that he would help pay for it anyway.

So there he was at a plush strip club for a bachelor party he didn't even want, with a bunch of rowdy corporate executives.

What had he done to be punished in such a horrible way?

Minato looked around the club and noticed that there were three separate stages, one on each side of the club, and then one big one in the center of it. Around each stage were couches, cushioned chairs, and tables for groups of people to sit at, though he noticed the one in the center clearly had the most.

"Here you go," Jiraiya said, handing the glass of vodka to Minato.

"You better not get shitfaced," Minato warned the white haired man. Jiraiya laughed and waved his hand dismissively, pulling him over with the rest of the group to one side of the strip club where one of the smaller stages were.

"Choza! Tell Minato to relax, yeah?" Jiraiya called out. Choza Akimichi looked at Minato and slapped him hard enough on the back to knock the wind out of him.

"Relax, Boss! We paid good money for this!"

Minato glowered at his group of 'friends' as he sat down on one of the couches, sipping on his vodka, crinkling his nose at the strength of it. Whatever kind of vodka it was that they served at the club, it was potent.

The music that had been thumping in the background escalated in volume and the lights in the already dim club, dimmed even further.

Then the show started.

* * *

Minato had sat through two performances of women taking their clothes off on each of the side stages, drinking vodka and taking shots when it was expected of him. His friends were drinking heavily, whooping and throwing bills on stage while Minato sat back, feeling drowsy.

He had a nasty habit of checking his watch to the point where Jiraiya threatened to take it away if he didn't stop. But it was hard not to look when he wasn't having any fun in the first place. Seriously. Who in their right mind enjoyed this kind of thing? It just made Minato uncomfortable watching those women take off their clothes for a few bills.

"Gentlemen," A voice spoke. Minato looked up from his glass and where a man with long black hair approached the group of executives.

The man wore pin striped pants, and a red dress shirt, and walked with a swagger that said he either owned the club, or thought he did.

"My name is Madara and I'm the owner of this fine establishment. I hope you're all having a wonderful evening," He said with an easy smirk that Minato was used to seeing his salesmen wear. He shook Jiraiya's hand along with Shikaku's and a few others before returning his hands to his pockets. His dark eyes moved among the group before settling on Minato.

"I trust you're enjoying yourself?" He asked with a slight incline of his head.

"You're damn right we are!" Jiraiya announced, and there were a few cheers behind him. "These girls are great!" Jiraiya gushed with his cheeks red, nursing a heavy buzz.

"Aren't they though?" Madara agreed, keeping that smile plastered on his face. "So who is the man of the hour?" He asked, though his eyes stayed on Minato.

"Right here!" Shikaku said, patting Minato's shoulder.

"Mr. Namikaze, I hope you're enjoying yourself as much as your friends are," Madara said with a casual tone. Minato didn't fall for it. He was the youngest CEO in the history of Konoha Enterprises, and he was smart enough to pick up on the subtleties that Madara was giving off. He dealt with it all the time when he had to speak with the board of directors and stockholders.

"I am," Minato answered. He could tell that Madara didn't buy it.

"Well good. I hope you're all ready for the next performer," Madara began in a voice that was both confident and loud enough to capture the attention of the whole party. "If our other girls haven't quite done it for you, I can assure you that Katia certainly will. She's young, in her prime, a veteran of Mangekyo, and a real crowd pleaser. She's worth every penny, Gentlemen. She's a real beauty!" Madara said, nodding his head and stalking off into the shadows.

Minato frowned. There was something about that man that didn't sit quite right with him. And he didn't like the fact that the club owner knew his name…

"You need another drink," Jiraiya slurred, placing another vodka in Minato's face. Minato huffed and downed the rest of the drink he had been sipping, and took the new one from Jiraiya as to shut him up. At this point he had a slight buzz, but nothing that would make him act like an idiot.

Following the group to the center stage, Minato sat down on the plush couch and nursed his vodka. It went down easier than when he first arrived, and he just hoped that after this he would get to go home.

The lights dimmed and the music changed the way it did all the night, and one of the girls strutted out on stage in heels that were too skinny and too high to ever be able to walk properly in without breaking an ankle.

But when the girl came into view, Minato zoned out and almost had forgotten where he was.

His first thought was that she was too pretty to be a stripper, with soft black hair that framed her face with loose curls, a waist so small that it was almost painful, and eyes that were a warm brown that made him feel like he was standing under the desert sun.

She moved her hips to beats in the music that Minato hadn't even realized were there until he saw her move to them. And he just barely managed to notice the way his friends whooped and threw a plethora of bills on stage. If they were lucky, she would cast them a smile that would make dimples pierce her cheeks so deeply that he had half the mind to wonder if they went all the way through.

She was stunning.

"What do you think, eh?" Jiraiya asked with a nudge when he noticed Minato's fixation.

Hearing Jiraiya brought him back to reality as he cleared his throat and reclined back into the couch, suddenly more interested with the clear liquid in his glass than the woman on stage.

"She's too pretty to be here," Minato admitted.

He didn't hear what Jiraiya said because she was already removing a loose shirt that showed off a red lace bra that pushed everything up and out.

He didn't even register when he had looked up at her again, but when he did her brown eyes met his own blue ones and he swore his heart stopped for a split second.

 _Fuck_ , she was beautiful.

The hell was she doing in a place like this? Any woman who looked like that should have been in a mansion somewhere being pampered and primped all day, every day. Not up on a stage doing pole acrobatics for a bunch of drunken corporate executives.

He wondered if she had someone she went home to at night. He wondered if she lived in a nice condo like his. He wondered how long she had been doing this.

He just wanted her to stop. He wanted to tell her she didn't need to take her clothes off for him. He wanted to give her all the money she needed so she didn't have to do this anymore. He just wanted to do anything to get her out of this place.

When the song ended she picked up a silver microphone from a stand that was in the back corner of the stage that looked like it belonged in the '50s, and moved back to the front of the stage.

She crouched down, a feat that Minato imagined must have been far more difficult than he could imagine in those heels that were thin as needles, and put the vintage microphone to her lips that were pouted.

"How you doing, Boys?" She asked, giving them a smile that made those dimples pierce her cheeks again, and tilting her head to the side in a way that was way more teasing than it ever should have been.

The response was a bunch of drunken hollers that drowned each other out.

"That's what we like to hear," She said in a stage voice that was caught somewhere between a song and an announcement. She stood back up in a sweeping motion that was all balance and agility and leaned on one hip.

"I'm Katia and you gentlemen hit the lottery because I don't normally do these," She played with the microphone and threw Jiraiya a smile that Minato knew would be on the man's mind for months to come. "But that's not important. What's important is that someone's get hitched, yeah?" She whooped her own voice the way the guys had been doing all night, and before he knew it, Jiraiya, Choza, and Shikaku, all had their arms around Minato, pointing to him as if he was choking or something.

"This guy!" Jiraiya shouted over and over again.

The girl—Katia—threw a wink at Jiraiya and crouched down again so she was just a little above eye level with Minato from the stage.

"And what is your name, Sweetheart?" She asked in that stage voice. Minato couldn't help but wonder what her actual voice sounded like.

He heard his friends yelling things at him but none of it registered.

He reluctantly let out a sigh and said, "Minato."

"Minato," She repeated with a click of her tongue and a smile on her lips. He thought to himself that he liked the way she said his name.

"Well Minato, I hope I can give you a show you'll remember," She said, casting him a wink as she walked back to where the microphone stand was, leaving the mic there.

The music started up again and she gave him a smile that he felt was genuine. He couldn't get over how deep her dimples were, and Minato leaned back into the couch again and looked at his drink.

It was the first time all night he actually smiled.

* * *

"Are we done?" Minato asked after the last girl, Katia, had walked off stage. While he made eye contact with her several times, and each time smiled like an idiot, he had to look away from her body when she moved each article of clothing.

It just didn't feel right to have so many men looking at her like that.

"Oh no, we've got one more thing in store!" Jiraiya slurred. So much for not getting shitfaced.

"What the hell else could there possibly be?" Minato snapped, though the anger was lost on his drunken friend.

"We got," Jiraiya hiccupped, "a champagne room for ya."

Minato stared and let the words sink in.

"What is a champagne room?" He couldn't deny the terror he could feel curling in his gut. A champagne room sounded like something out of a porno for fuck's sake.

"It's just a nicer way of saying a lap dance," Jiraiya explained, cackling at the clear look of fear on the blonde man's face.

"Kushina said no one-on-one dances," Minato argued.

"Stop, it'll be fine! It's not like you're going to fuck the girl."

Jiraiya was so drunk that Minato wasn't sure if he heard the words correctly. Sure, the older man was a perv. No doubt about it. He even had a side job of publishing erotic fiction. But a sober Jiraiya would have never disrespected Kushina like that in a million years.

"No. I'm not doing it," Minato said with a frown, finally putting his foot down.

He could see that Jiraiya was going to argue with him, but the man was suddenly a sickly shade of green and he ran over to the trash can and emptied his guts there, making Minato grimace. He took the opportunity to look around at his group of friends. They were all shitfaced and he could tell the club's staff was getting sick of them.

He checked his watch, sighing when he saw it was 2:30 in the morning and decided it was time to leave.

No champagne room. No lap dance. And no hangover.

* * *

"Great job tonight, Babe. They loved you," Madara hummed, walking over to where Nina was putting on another set of clothes for her last job of the night.

She raised an eyebrow at Madara as she attempted to pull the skin tight jeans over her ass, jumping into them to get them on.

"Don't look so happy. You're scaring the other girls," Nina retorted, buttoning the low rise jeans and adjusting her bra in the mirror.

Madara chuckled to himself and placed a roll of cash on the vanity.

"That looks pretty small for your best girl who just worked a private party and is about to work a champagne room," Nina said, picking up the roll and turning around to face her boss. Madara kept his hands in his pockets and continued to smirk.

"That's your sixty percent," He said with a nod.

Nina blinked. The fuck did that mean?

"I can see that. Why isn't it eighty like we talked about?"

"Because it turns out the group got so horribly drunk that they left early. No champagne room. No eighty percent. Check the paper," Madara nodded in Tsunade's direction who was giving her a sad look that meant Madara was telling the truth. The whole reason he agreed to give her eighty percent of her tips in the first place, was because she swore off champagne rooms, and that was her incentive to go through with it. Without the champagne room, she would make the same amount of money she always did. Without it, she was back to sixty percent.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Nina snapped, wanting to wring Madara's neck.

"Go home, Nina. You've earned yourself a break," Madara said calmly, strutting away like he owned the world or something.

Nina stared at the roll of cash and ran her hands across her face, ruining her makeup as she did.

She needed a new job.

* * *

I'm just realizing now that my page breaks in the first chapter seemed to have completely disappeared. I'm going to try and fix that right away but I have issues with this site all the time. So I recommend checking out my Archive of our Own. I have less issues over there so I'm able to update quicker and my formatting is never messed with, so the story will look and flow better. My name over there is blairxriles. Sorry if anyone has had any trouble reading the first chapter. I didn't realize my page breaks didn't show up.

But what do you guys think about this type of AU? I feel like Minato/OC stories are rare enough, but I feel like people are going to be like "what the actual f?" when they see it's about a stripper. Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know what you think! Keeps me motivated to keep putting up new chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

If it was possible to drown in paperwork, Obito would have been dead five times over by now. Fresh out of school, eager to work, excited for possibilities, only to land the job of admin for Konoha Enterprises HQ.

While he wasn't necessarily excited about being an admin, he knew that getting his foot in the door with the company was a good idea. Especially since it meant he would be working in the office that the CEO worked in. He started as an assistant a year ago and here he was now, pretty much in charge of running the day to day operations of the office on his own.

It sucked.

Who would have thought that being an admin would be so stressful?

The computer screen that was positioned to the right of him continued to fill up with email alerts, while the phone rang off the hook, as he had to rummage through the hundreds of papers that cluttered the desk.

"Konoha Enterprises, please hold," He said, who knows how many times, before turning his attention to the sleek white keyboard and trying to wade through the amount of unnecessary emails, figuring out what had to be answered right away, and what could wait.

"Morning, Obito," A voice said.

Obito looked up over the frame of his glasses where his boss and CEO of the whole damn company, Minato Namikaze, was walking in.

He was in his usual tailored suit that fit him in a way Obito would kill for, and was carrying a black, leather suitcase.

He was surprisingly the nicest person Obito ever had the pleasure of working for. He expected the CEO to be some prick who thought his shit didn't stink, but Mr. Namikaze was almost like a father, despite his young age.

"Morning," Obito said distractedly as the phone started ringing. He just wanted to rip the thing out of the wall and chuck it across the room.

"I've got good news," Mr. Namikaze said with a smile.

"Oh yeah? Is it an assistant? Because I'm dying over here, Boss," Obito grumbled, knowing full well that he really shouldn't have spoken to his boss like that.

Mr. Namikaze let out a chuckle, "I'm interviewing people today for it."

Obito blinked and felt his lips purse into a thin line.

"Really? You're not screwing with me or anything?" Obito asked, narrowing his eyes at his boss.

"I wouldn't screw with you, Obito," He said with a laugh. "Expect about four or five people to come in. Oh, and give me a call when they arrive."

"You don't want me to send them to Choza?" Obito checked, wondering why Minato wouldn't just send the people right over to the director of HR.

"Nope. I'm interviewing them myself since they'll be in my office. Plus, I want to make sure you're with someone good," Mr. Namikaze explained, patting the desk as he started to walk towards his office.

Obito stared at where his boss was walking away, wide eyed. It wasn't until another person walked in did his thoughts come to a screeching halt.

"Obito," it was Kakashi who was coming in, giving Obito a steady gaze.

"Kakashi," Obito said with his nose twitching as he regarded the young, gray haired man that was his age. Yet somehow he was way farther ahead in the company than Obito was, already being promoted to salesman.

"Did you ever send Mr. Namikaze my new leads? I'd like to get them approved before the start of the quarter," Kakashi asked, keeping his voice level and calm. How the hell Kakashi Hatake had managed to make any sales at all with that stoic personality was still a mystery to Obito.

"I haven't gotten around to it," Obito grumbled.

"I'm not surprised," Kakashi said with a sigh. "Would you hurry up and put that through? Some of us have important things to do," He said walking towards his office.

Obito could have just strangled him.

* * *

Nina was going to vomit.

She never thought she would have seen the day where she was walking downtown in pumps, a pencil skirt, and a blouse, ready to interview with one of the most well known companies in the country.

But after the other week when Madara gave her only sixty percent of her tips when he promised her eighty, she knew it was time for a new job. Sure, the idea of transitioning from making fast money to having to wait for a formal paycheck every week or so absolutely terrified her. But she needed to make some type of change, because she was having a harder time every month with making her rent.

The skyscraper where Konoha Enterprises rented its offices loomed above Nina like an angry giant, ready to swat her down just for looking at it too long.

She could feel the bile rising in her throat.

But it was too late to turn back now, because her legs were already on autopilot, making her walk to the elevators to head all the way to the top floor where her interview would be held.

A few days ago she had been searching online for jobs, and the position of administrative assistant at Konoha Enterprises HQ popped up. It paid well enough and she figured it couldn't have been that difficult of a job. So she submitted her resume.

One day later she got a phone call offering her to come for an interview downtown.

So there she was, standing in an elevator that was nicer than her apartment for a job she doubted she would even get.

When the elevator reached the top floor she stepped out, already overwhelmed at the extravagance of it all. The elevator opened up to a hallway with marble tile and gray walls. At the end of the hallway was a clear door where she could see a circular room, which had even more halls branching off from it.

She took a deep breath and kept her head held high the way she did when she argued with Madara, and walked to the door, slipping inside.

When she walked in she immediately took notice of a large desk that was against a wall where a phone could be heard ringing off the hook. She took a few steps toward it and noticed a young kid with dark, spikey hair, dark eyes, and glasses, furiously typing on a keyboard without even looking at the computer screen. His eyes were instead scanning across the many papers that were scattered over the desk, and his brow was scrunched with intense concentration.

Nina chose not to say anything, instead standing at the desk, waiting for him to notice her when he got a moment to breathe, since he looked pretty stressed.

She noticed the lack of people coming and going from this part of the building, and wasn't sure if she was disappointed or not by the fact that there weren't salesmen chatting by the water cooler like she had seen on bad TV sitcoms.

Eventually, the kid at the desk looked up, and jumped slightly when he realized there was someone standing there.

"Uh, one second," He said with a sheepish smile, typing something on the keyboard again before giving her his attention, though by the way his knee bounced she could tell he was anxious to get back to work. "How can I help you?" He asked with a cough to clear his throat.

"Hi, I'm Nina Sato. I'm here for an interview," She said, giving him the smile she used when she was on stage at work.

"For the administrative assistant position?" He asked, already reaching for the sleek black phone. She only nodded and he hit a button on the phone, telling someone on the other line that another applicant had arrived.

After he hung up the phone he gave her a big, toothy grin, and stood up.

"Mr. Namikaze is ready to see you. Right this way," He said, gesturing for her to follow him.

He seemed way too excited to help her out. Any other time she had tried to get another job, be it in retail or in restaurant, the people always looked downright bored with her. But this kid was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

He guided her down a hallway that led to a large door with warped glass and metal handles. Nina thought the door was too big and excessive for someone in HR, but said nothing of it.

"Good luck," The kid whispered, giving her a grin that warmed her all the way to her core. She smiled at him and walked forward, into the office.

Her first thought was that there was no way in fucking hell that she was interviewing with anybody in HR, because the office had floor to ceiling windows, marble floors, clean gray walls, and a large glass desk in the center of the room, with a chair that looked more comfortable than her own bed for fuck's sake.

She had no idea who she would be interviewing with, but obviously it was someone high up in the company because she had never seen something quite so lavish before in her life.

Ahead of her was a blonde man with his back turned to her, clearly trying to hurry someone off the phone in a hushed voice.

She raised her eyebrow and took slow steps forward, wanting to cringe at how loud her heels were against the marble flooring.

When she was only a few steps away from the desk and the two plush chairs in front of it, the man pulled the phone away from his ear and turned around, wearing an embarrassed smile with his eyes closed, as he rubbed the back of his head.

The second he turned around, Nina knew the job wasn't hers.

"Sorry about that," He prefaced, opening his eyes as he did.

His eyes were bright blue and sparked with recognition that made Nina's stomach curdle. The friendly smile fell off his face and his lips parted in shock as those blue orbs widened.

 _Shit_.

He took a step forward and the front of his thigh connected with a corner on the desk, causing the mug of coffee he had been holding to splash onto his suit jacket.

He tore his gaze away from her and seethed through his teeth, peeling off his now coffee stained jacket, and draping it over the chair. He then began to roll up his sleeves, looking at her again with those intense blue eyes.

Nina thought back to the night Madara had promised her eighty percent of her tips, and remembered the private party she had danced for. The group was rowdy, loud, and obnoxious, but that had been expected. What hadn't been expected was the way the man in the middle of the group, _the bachelor_ , had acted.

He didn't whoop at her or throw bills on stage. He didn't lick his lips with each article of clothing she removed. He didn't do anything that was considered "normal" for a strip club.

He sat in the middle of the group with his friends and only looked at her face. When she had taken all of her clothes off, he didn't even look up from his drink, as if he was embarrassed for her. And each time they had made eye contact, he smiled into his drink and that was it.

And now she was standing across from that same man, about to be interviewed by him.

She knew Madara had said he was some CEO, but she never paid attention to which company it was. It wasn't like CEO's were some rare thing to Mangekyo either. They came in all the time.

But what were the fucking chances? What bad karma had she attracted for this to happen?

"E-excuse me," He said as he cleared his throat, offering her a handshake. "I'm Minato Namikaze, CEO of Konoha Enterprises."

That's right. His name was Minato.

"Nina Sato," She said slowly, shaking his hand and trying to look at something else, _anything_ that wasn't him.

"Nina?" He repeated, narrowing his eyes at her.

She knew what he wanted to ask. She knew what he was wondering.

"Katia is a stage name," She answered the silent question, looking away as she did.

The silence that followed was so loud and so deafening, that she had half the mind to wonder if she would lose her sense of hearing from it.

"O-oh no! That… That isn't," He trailed off as his face heated up and he was suddenly scratching the back of his head, looking around the office, probably trying to look at anything that wasn't her.

"Yeah… I'm clearly not going to get the job so I'm just gonna… Go," Nina muttered, not bothering to deny the sense of disappointment she could feel forming in her gut. So much for that. So much for trying to get a real job…

"Miss Sato, please have a seat," Minato said after she had started to walk away.

She inhaled deeply and turned over her shoulder to see him watching her with those steady blue eyes, keeping his brow set in determination.

She walked back over and sat down with a forced smile that was almost painful. Really though. What was the point of pretending like she even had a chance?

"If you don't mind my asking, why is the CEO interviewing for such a low position?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I normally wouldn't, but since it's for my own personal office, I wanted to select the person myself," He answered, still avoiding her eyes.

"Ah," She said, looking at where he was fixated on a piece of white paper.

"Six years of experience in the service and entertainment industry," He read off the paper. It was then that she realized it was her resume he was looking over.

He looked stupidly uncomfortable, shifting in his seat and rubbing the bottom of his chin. Because he knew what 'six years of experience in the service and entertainment industry' meant. He knew it meant Mangekyo Strip Club. He knew it meant she took her clothes off for men like him to make a quick buck.

"Couldn't really put exotic dancer on there," She said under her breath. At this point Nina didn't give a shit. Konoha Enterprises would not hire a stripper. Even at the position as low as administrative assistant.

He looked up at her with those bright blue eyes as a blush dusted across his cheeks.

"Uh," He cleared his throat, "Tell me of a time you were faced with a conflict at your job and how you handled it."

Nina raised an eyebrow.

"A girl was stealing tips from another girl. I caught her and warned her to stop. She didn't so I reported her to my boss. He terminated her the next day."

"Ethically, do you think your actions were warranted?"

"Yes," She answered without missing a beat.

He nodded and jotted something down on her resume. He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face, causing Nina to huff and roll her eyes.

"Look, clearly you're uncomfortable and clearly you're not going to hire a stripper. So why don't I do us both a favor and go?" She said with the corner of her lips tugging into a frown. Because seriously, it just wasn't worth the awkwardness.

"N-no, that's not it!" He said, finally looking up at her and holding her eye contact.

She raised her eyebrow again, "So the fact that you've seen me completely naked, dancing on a stage, while your buddies throw money at me isn't going to jeopardize the chances of me getting this job?"

He looked mortified with his eyes wide and lips parted.

"Look, it isn't what you think. I didn't even want to be there in the first place. It was all their idea. I'm not the type of guy to go to places like that—especially because I've been with my fiancée since I was sixteen, okay?"

Nina could have guessed all of that just from the way he acted at Mangekyo, but it didn't matter to her if he was a nice guy or not. The men that _did_ go to strip clubs of their own volition were the reason she could put a roof over her head.

"I don't care if you are or not," Nina started, knowing full well that her tone was totally out of place. She blamed it on the fact that she could give Madara attitude whenever she wanted because they had worked together for so long, but she had a pretty good feeling that speaking to the CEO of Konoha freaking Enterprises like that wasn't the best idea.

"I just can tell by the way you're looking at me that you don't take me as a serious candidate."

"How am I looking at you?" Minato asked, his lips pulling into a frown. His voice was soft and it made her wonder how a man who got so easily flustered was running such a company.

But now he looked at her with a sudden intensity, which was stark in contrast to the way he had been avoiding her earlier, to the point where it was Nina's turn to get flustered and look away.

"Nevermind. Thank you for your time, Mr. Namikaze," She said standing up and stretching out of her hand.

He took it and pumped it twice with a firm grip.

"We'll be in contact, Miss Sato," He assured, looking directly into her eyes.

And the thing was, she actually believed him. The intensity in his gaze and the determination in his brow was enough to convince her. Though she still doubted she would get the job, she believed that she would at least receive a phone call or email to inform her of the bad news.

It was just too bad that he had recognized her. Otherwise she had a pretty good feeling that she would have gotten the position.

* * *

When Nina had walked out of his office, Minato leaned back in his chair and ran his hands over his face.

He didn't think he would ever see Katia— _Nina_ ever again. And he was perfectly fine with that. The dancer from Mangekyo was just too intense for him to be around again. But when she came in there, dressed like someone who belonged at Konoha Enterprises, with those brown eyes that were so warm that made him feel like he was standing in a burning desert, he lost himself for a moment.

What surprised him the most though was that she recognized him. He assumed that with her line of work she saw men like him all the time. But sure enough, she recognized him and immediately put her guard up.

He couldn't blame her. He could only imagine the faces of the Senju brothers, the ones who founded the corporation, if he told them he hired a stripper. Hashirama would be surprised no doubt, but would be supportive of Minato's decision. Tobirama on the other hand, would give him that death stare and cross his arms without saying a word, silently undermining him.

But out of the four other people Minato had interviewed for the position, she seemed to be the only one who took it seriously. The rest of them had been young kids fresh out of school, who showed up in khaki pants and short sleeved t-shirts. They all shrugged during the interview and didn't seem interested as he grilled them with different questions.

And while Nina had been guarded and even on the offense, he really couldn't blame her for it.

The decision of who to hire was clear, but the question was whether or not Minato would have the nerve to do it.

* * *

Sorry about the late update! I was on vacation visiting some family and when I got back I had some issues at work with an abusive manager. But now that everything is back to normal updates will be coming about every 3-5 days or so. I'm also starting to get the hang of the website, but I'm still trying to figure out how to respond to reviews. So I'm not ignoring anyone! I'm just completely lost when it comes to this website haha but anyway...

Let me know what you think! I'd love some feedback or even ideas for where you guys think the story should go. I've got a pretty vague outline, so I know the overall direction I want the story to go in, but I'm open to any and all ideas. The only thing is that I really want to keep this story about the relationship between Minato and Nina. I know it would be easier to do Minato and Kushina, but I want to challenge myself and make this about the OC. Plus there's a bunch of Minato/Kushina stories out there. Thanks(:


	4. Chapter 4

"Do you know if it's cold out?" Nina asked Mei as she got her stuff together for the night. It was around three-thirty in the morning and Nina was just exhausted. One of her clients offered Madara a pretty penny if she would stay late for an extra performance, and while Nina didn't normally let Madara bully her into staying late, rent was due in one week and she could use the money. It just sucked that she racked up around $1500 but $600 of it would go directly to the Uchiha man.

"I think it is. You have a jacket?" Mei answered, donning her own coat and brushing her hair back, waiting for Nina so they could leave the club together. Just about everyone else had left, even Bee, who normally gave her rides home.

"Nope," Nina remarked, pulling an oversized hoodie over her head. The softness of the fabric had long been washed away, and the roughness of it made her skin itch. She threw her black hair up into a messy bun while grabbing her tote and slinging it over her shoulder.

Mei clicked her tongue and shook her head as they headed to the front door. She had her car keys ready and once they exited the club, her car beeped.

Nina could have asked her for a ride, but Mei lived on the other side of town and Nina's pride just wouldn't allow herself to be such an inconvenience. Plus, she didn't live in the greatest area, and she didn't want to make Mei uncomfortable.

She would just have to suck it up and walk home in the cold since the busses never ran past midnight.

"Are you okay? You seemed awfully stressed lately," Mei pointed out, looking at Nina over her shoulder.

"Just dandy," Nina answered. Truthfully, she was stressed. But that wasn't anything new. She was stressed all the time. The only real thing that had been causing her the unrelenting wave of anxiety was the fact that she still hadn't heard back from Konoha Enterprises, even though her interview was over a week ago.

She figured she just didn't get the job, but she was still hopeful even though the odds were stacked against her.

"Your chakra is just all off and it's affecting your performance you know," Mei said, coming to a slow halt. Nina stopped walking beside her, plunging her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

"What?"

"Your chakra! No wonder you can't get your leg up to your head anymore! It's all blocked off," Mei exclaimed, as if that explained everything in the world.

Nina blinked and raised an eyebrow. It wasn't uncommon for Mei to be interested in trivial things like relationships and marriage, but this? Even this was out of her realm.

"Okay first of all, I can get my leg up as high as I want. I've just been a little tense," Nina defended, feeling a surge of anxiety pulse through her veins. The thought of losing her flexibility, something that she was known for at Mangekyo, was enough to make her want to pop a blood vessel. "And second of all, what the hell are you even talking about?"

Mei sighed and shook her head as she put her hand on Nina's shoulder, as if she was some confused child, "Nina, don't be silly. You're losing your touch,"

"Mei," Nina growled.

"Oh calm down! I'm talking about my yoga class," She started, giving Nina the same smile she used when she was on stage. "My instructor is absolutely amazing. She talks a lot about chakra, and chakra control and—"

"You're speaking another language to me," Nina deadpanned.

"How about you just come to a class with me?"

Nina would have just shot her down without a second thought, but Mei looked so hopeful and excited with her eyes getting big and her folding her hands together with a grin.

"I don't have time to go to some yoga class with a bunch of hippies!"

"Your loss," Mei said with a shrug, "Yoga is great for flexibility."

Nina groaned and put her hand to her forehead. Did she really want to be such an asshole and shoot Mei down for just trying to include her? It was all in good fun anyway. And if it helped with her flexibility, what did she have to lose?

"Fine. I'll come."

"Perfect! I'll meet you there at twelve. It's at that gym downtown on the corner of third and Kiri street. Be safe getting home, Nina!" Mei called out, opening the door of her car. Nina took a deep breath and watched as she drove away. She couldn't blame her for wanting to get home right away. Mei shared an apartment with her roommate Ao, and he worried about her when she got in late.

Nina on the other hand, didn't have anyone to worry about her. So she walked through the city streets by herself, late at night, in hopes of getting home safely with her key between her knuckles.

* * *

Kushina reclined into the couch, resting her head against the cushions. It was a little after ten in the morning and she needed to get over to the gym for class. Generally, she liked to get there an hour before so she should warm up, but today she was feeling rather sluggish. She would prefer to just relax with some tea at home.

"Hey," It was Minato, taking slow steps into the living room as he tried to wake up. He wore sweatpants without a shirt, and rubbed his eyes as he made his way over to the kitchen for coffee.

"Hey," She answered, rubbing the back of her neck.

She could hear him pouring coffee in the kitchen and waited for him to come back into the living room. He would sit next to her, sip his coffee, and put his feet up on the coffee table, despite knowing that it drove her up the wall, and then he would ask her how she slept, just like he always did.

And sure enough, he was coming back out of the kitchen with his coffee in hand, doing all the things she knew he would do.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," She said giving him a smile that was too forced to be comfortable.

"Glad to hear it," Minato said with his own smile as he sipped his coffee. He kept his feet up on the table and she rolled her eyes. You'd think after being with someone for seven years they would know not to do things to piss you off so much.

"I'm gonna get going," She said, standing up and stretching until her back made a satisfying pop.

"Already?" She looked at where Minato was watching her with those bright blue eyes, and felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. Why did he have to look at her like that? Why couldn't he just accept the fact she was going to class and be done with it?

"I like to get there early, you know!" She said with a wink.

Minato gave her a soft side smile and took her hand, "I know. I just feel like I never see you anymore."

He just sounded so sad, but the worst part was that Kushina didn't even feel any remorse. Sure, they hadn't seen much of each other ever since Konoha Enterprises hired him as CEO, but she was equally to blame. He wasn't home as much, and when he was, she was always finding excuses to leave. She just felt trapped all the time and this wasn't helping.

"I'm sorry," She said, leaning down and kissing him on the lips. "Maybe we can do something when I get home from class?"

Minato tilted his head to the side, eyeing her up like she was one of his clients, before closing his eyes and brushing his bangs back.

"I'd like that," He said finally, opening his eyes and looking at her with those loving blue irises that made her feel like she was suffocating.

"Perfect," She said with a grin as she grabbed her yoga mat and headed for the door.

"I love you," He called out as she started to slip through the threshold.

"You too," She answered, all but slamming the door shut behind her as she did.

* * *

Despite initially feeling sluggish and not wanting to teach class, Kushina was downright relieved to be entering the gym. At least when she was in class, _she_ was the one in control, so she never felt trapped. And at this point, she had been teaching for so long that everything was just second nature and she hardly had to think about it at all.

She smiled at the worker behind the desk and headed over to the back room in the gym that was away from all the treadmills, ellipticals, and weights. It was a small gym, but that was part of the reason why she liked it so much. The smaller the yoga class, the more personal she could be with her students. There really wasn't anything more rewarding than that.

As she opened the door to the back room, she saw two women in the center, bickering with each other through laughs.

"Seriously? You look like you're having a seizure," One of the women said with a giggle and a hand on her stomach.

"Shut up, Nina!" The other figure said. Kushina stood in the doorway and saw that one of the women was her student, Mei Terumi.

"It's like this," The other woman, Nina, said as she moved her body in a way that was far too provocative to be done in public. She had rolled her stomach and swayed her hips, causing Kushina's face to turn the color of her hair.

What the hell were they dancing like that for?

"Hello, Mei," Kushina said as she cleared her throat and closed the door behind her.

The two women stopped what they were doing and looked at Kushina. Mei grinned and waved to her, but the other woman crossed her arms and looked around the room, clearly uncomfortable.

"I hope it's okay, but I brought my friend Nina with me today," Mei said, gesturing to the black haired woman beside her.

"Hi," Nina said, offering her hand to Kushina.

She was smaller than both Mei and herself, with a waist that was so tiny Kushina actually had half the mind to wonder if she was wearing some type of corset. Her black hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she wore tight leggings with a tank top. Truthfully, she was very pretty. But Kushina noticed that she had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, which detracted from what she would have been natural beauty.

"Of course it's okay," Kushina said, offering Mei a smile. She then turned her attention to Nina, "What brings you in today?"

Nina must not have been expecting that as she immediately looked to Mei for help, before stuttering out a response.

"Uh, I hear yoga is good for flexibility," She answered, playing with her ponytail.

"Are you looking to improve your flexibility in a mental sense or physical?"

"Physical," She said with a laugh that was caught somewhere between a cough and a chuckle. The girl's discomfort was almost palpable, so Kushina figured she would give her some space for now.

"Well all right then. I'll make sure I keep an eye on you when class starts,"

"Great," The girl muttered, sounding less than pleased.

Kushina moved to the front of the room and laid out her yoga mat, going through a series of stretches. Mei normally showed up early, as it gave her a chance to talk to the handful of guys who took the class, so Kushina was used to her presence. But it was Nina's presence that was throwing her off. Kushina could just feel the inner turmoil that the girl was going through. She exuded stress and anxiety, and there was a nervous energy that was sparking around her. It was exhausting for Kushina to even be around, let alone have to deal with it directly the way Nina had to.

She made a mental note to try and work closely with the pretty, raven haired girl. It would help Nina out and it would give Kushina another outlet for dealing with her own stress.

If she could get rid of someone else's, then maybe she could get rid of her own.

* * *

"Close, but not quite. Try this," Kushina said as she stood beside Nina in the middle of class. They were going through a series of sun salutations (whatever that was), and every time the class went through downward dog, Kushina had to adjust Nina's hips, saying she wasn't aligned.

Whoever said yoga was easy needed to be smacked, because this was the most Nina had ever sweated in a long time.

"You're doing great," Kushina tacked on as she continued to talk the class through movements, occasionally stopping to fix someone's form.

How the hell was this supposed to be relaxing?

The class continued like that, going through a series of motions before Kushina started to talk them into, what she referred to as, corpse pose.

Nina lied on her back and stared at the ceiling. Was this for real? Did all yoga classes end with a nap or something?

Kushina continued to talk the class through different breathing techniques, guiding them into a meditation of some sorts. Nina tried to follow through with it, she really did, but she just couldn't turn her mind off. How anyone in the class did was a mystery to her. With all the bills and responsibilities of the real world, she didn't think she would ever be able to utilize 'corpse pose' to its fullest.

She wasn't sure how long they had been 'meditating', but at some point Nina's phone started to ring, and the suddenness of it made her gasp and shoot up. The rest of the class all sent glares her way as she stood up, and tried her best to hurry over to her bag.

She grabbed her phone and saw that a number she didn't recognize was calling her. She looked to where Kushina was giving her a disapproving look with her arms crossed, and silently mouthed an apology, before slipping out of the room.

"Hello?" Nina answered, breathless as she stood outside of the back room of the gym, earning looks from those who were on the closest row of treadmills.

"Hello, is this Nina Sato?" A man's voice asked on the other line. It sounded familiar enough, but she just couldn't put her finger on where she had heard it before.

"Yes, may I ask who's speaking?" The only thing Nina could think was why the hell was she so out of breath?

"Hi, Miss Sato. This is Mr. Namikaze, CEO of Konoha Enterprises," He started. Nina could feel her eyes widen, though she remained silent. "I was just calling to inform you that we'd like to offer you the position of administrative assistant at our headquarters."

He didn't sound as awkward over the phone as he had been when they last spoke, though she was sure it was probably because he wasn't face to face with her.

Then the words sank in.

"You what?" She blurted out.

"Uh, I was calling to inform you—"

"O-oh sorry! Sorry, I heard that!" It was like word vomit, and all Nina could do was slap her hand to her forehead and try to temper the nervous energy. "You're offering me the position?" She repeated. She had a feeling that Mr. Namikaze was probably rolling his eyes at her from the other end of the phone.

Instead, she heard a chuckle, "Yes, that is correct. Would you be willing to accept the offer?"

"Yes! Yes of course!" She all but shrieked, ignoring the now irritated looks from those were trying to get their exercise in.

"Wonderful. Sorry for the timing of this call. I hope I'm not interrupting your Saturday,"

"Nope! Not at all!" She really wished she had better control over herself because now she just sounded downright desperate. But if Mr. Namikaze thought so, he didn't comment on it. Instead he just continued his spiel, as if she _wasn't_ acting like a complete idiot.

"I was hoping you would be able to come in Monday around ten in the morning to meet with HR. That way we can get you started this week. Does that work for you?"

"Yes sir, I'll be in on Monday. Thank you so much for this position!" She gushed, not even bothering trying to fight the flood of relief that completely washed over her in that moment.

"Of course," He paused for a moment, "Congratulations, Nina."

And with that, the line went dead.

Nina grinned to herself, smiling at where she was holding her phone, and actually jumped up a few times in sheer bliss. This was the first step to a better life, and even though she was just an administrative assistant, and hadn't even started the job yet, she was just filled with excitement and hope. Maybe they would even pay her enough so that she wouldn't have to continue working at Mangekyo.

Taking a deep breath and trying to not get ahead of herself, Nina slowly opened the door and popped her head in to see the class getting their things together. Only a few of them gave her dirty looks, but Nina didn't care. They could glare at her all they wanted, because she was on Cloud Nine and nothing could deter her.

"Whoa, what was that about? I haven't seen you this happy since… I don't think I've ever seen you this happy," Mei said when Nina walked over to her, rolling up the spare yoga mat the redhead had lent her.

"Oh nothing," Nina hummed. She hadn't told anyone at Mangekyo that she was job hunting. While she loved everyone there, they didn't take lightly to someone trying to find a "real job". And it was only because usually when people did it, they started acting like they were above the rest of the workers there. And even though Nina wasn't like that, she just didn't want to deal with the stigma.

"Did you just get laid or something?" Mei remarked with a laugh. Nina blinked before shooting a death stare at her fellow dancer.

"I was out there for two minutes!"

"Ever hear of a quickie?" Mei said again, this time erupting into a fit of giggles. Nina shook her head, but laughed with her anyway. Nothing could ruin her mood. Not even the fact that she had to work with Madara tonight.

"Nina," this time it was a different redhead who spoke to her, one with softer lines to her face, and hair that was more pink than orange.

"O-oh Kushina, I'm so sorry! I meant to put my phone on silent. I can promise that'll never happen again," Nina assured, already feeling guilty for interrupting her class, especially since she wasn't a normal attendee.

"That's alright. Just next time remember to silence it, you know?" She asked. Nina nodded, thankful that she wasn't getting scolded. "So will I be seeing you next week?"

Nina blinked and turned to Mei, who was only shrugging at her.

"I don't think so. I'm a little strapped for cash right now, so I don't think I would be able to afford it. Thank you so much though for letting me come today. I really appreciate it," She wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain herself the pretty yoga instructor, but she did for whatever reason.

"We might be able to work something out. I'd like to help you work through all of that negative energy you seem to have."

The weird thing was, there was nothing mean or condescending to Kushina's words. She genuinely sounded like she cared about the stress that Nina was currently battling with.

"You sure do have a lot of that," Mei muttered under her breath.

When Nina went to snap at her, Kushina cut her off before she could even start.

"The next class I have at this level is on Thursday at noon, or this time next Saturday. I'd love to see you at one of them," Kushina said, giving her a smile that warmed Nina all the way to her core.

"I'll try to make one of them," Nina promised, oddly enough really meaning it. Kushina nodded at her with a smile, saying goodbye as she and Mei got their things together. It wasn't until they were outside in the parking lot, about to part ways did Mei speak up.

"So are you going to tell me about that phone call or what?"

"Not yet. I don't want to jinx anything. See you tonight?" Nina asked, plunging her hands into her pockets as she got ready to take the bus home. Mei gave her a nod and waved as she got into her car and started it up.

Maybe things were starting to look up after all.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! Drop a review please and thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

Despite it being the second time Nina had entered the Konoha Enterprises skyscraper, and despite the fact that she was coming in to do her new hire paperwork, she still felt as nervous as she did last time. Maybe even more with the way she felt like she was going to throw up.

She made her way over to the front desk where the same dark haired boy was somehow juggling a phone ringing off the hook, emails, and a plethora of other tasks, was stationed. She stood across from him, waiting for him to have a moment where he noticed her.

"Just a sec," He muttered to her without even a glance, before answering the phone and redirecting calls or putting them on hold. He swiveled over to the other side of his desk and typed something on the keyboard. When he finally looked up at her his face split into a grin that practically reached all the way to his ears.

"Hi, I'm here for—"

"You're the new administrative assistant right?" He asked, cutting her off as he still wore that huge smile.

Nina let herself chuckle and she nodded, "I am."

"All right!" He said, standing up and shaking her hand with a surprisingly firm grasp. "I'm Obito. I'm going to be training you and you're pretty much going to be working with me all the time."

There was something both familiar and endearing about the boy. She couldn't put her finger on what was familiar, but his energy mixed with that huge smile warmed her to her core. She thought she could get used to working with him.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Nina," She started. "So I'm here to do new hire paperwork, any idea where I go?"

"Oh you can just hang out here. I'll give Choza a call and he'll go over your paperwork with you," Obito went back behind the desk and picked up the phone, informing whoever was on the other line that the new hire was there.

Nina stood by the desk, trying to be as casual as possible. Her stomach felt like it was in her throat, her pumps were hurting her feet (despite dancing in six inch stilettos every night), yet she couldn't hold back the wave of excitement that was beginning to rush through her. Things were finally coming together for the first time in her life.

"I've been begging for another assistant for what feels like years," Obito told her as he tapped on the keyboard with a speed and precision that Nina doubted she would ever be able to master. "I can't even take vacations! No temp wants to deal with all this crap," Obito continued, clicking and scrolling through things on the computer with his mouse.

Nina cleared her throat, "Well at least you won't have to deal with it alone now."

Obito paused, and looked at her with those dark eyes and gave her a toothy grin before looking back at the monitor.

"It's really not that bad. It's just—"

"Obito, I need those leads approved," a voice cut in.

Nina looked over her shoulder where a gray haired, young man, who looked to be about Obito's age was standing with his hands in his pockets as he regarded the admin.

Obito looked up and rolled his eyes, clicking so hard with his mouse that Nina thought he could have broken it.

"Mr. Namikaze is very busy right now. He'll approve your leads when he has time, Kakashi," Obito said back, feigning innocence with an over exaggerated arch to his eyebrows.

"Mhm," the newcomer, Kakashi responded. His eyes never once connected with Nina and he treated her as if she was invisible, choosing only to stare Obito down with a cold glare. "The quarter ends in two weeks. If I'm going to break last year's record I need those leads approved."

"Well then go talk to Mr. Namikaze yourself," Obito said, giving Kakashi a smirk.

There was a long pause and Nina shifted uncomfortably to the other foot. Work dynamics were always interesting, but it had been so long since she was the new girl that she forgot how jarring it could be to first learn all the different dynamics.

And clearly those two young men were anything but friends.

"Don't play stupid. You manage his schedule and we both know it. I mean it, Obito. Get those leads approved or else," Kakashi snarled before turning on his heel and heading down one of the several hallways that stemmed from the main reception area.

As Kakashi walked away, Obito flipped him off and let his eyes shift back to Nina.

"I hate that guy," Obito told her.

Nina fought back a chuckle, "You don't say."

Obito chuckled under his breath, "That obvious?"

Nina shrugged and immediately straightened up when a rather large, familiar looking, man with a mane of hair joined them in the reception room.

Unlike Kakashi, this man did not wear a suit. Instead he just donned black dress pants and a polo shirt. He smiled at Nina and nodded at Obito.

"Obito, is this our new hire?"

"Yes sir," Obito answered, walking out from behind the desk and ushering Nina closer to the large and downright intimidating man.

She recognized the man because he had been part of Minato's entourage, and with his size and stature being so large, there was no way in hell she could forget him. She worried less about him recognizing her though, as he had particularly been so intoxicated that she had heard from Bee that he passed out at one point.

"Sir, this is Nina Sato. Nina, this is Choza Akimichi. He's the executive director of HR. He's going to be going over your paperwork with you and then he'll give you a tour of the building. Afterwards you can catch up with me," Obito explained, losing his carefree façade and replacing it with a more professional one.

Nina decided that she preferred his carefree self.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Akimichi," Nina said, giving him a friendly smile and outstretching her hand.

He shook it with such a strength Nina must have gasped, as he let out a barking laugh and released her hand, "Sorry 'bout that. I've got a firm grip. And call me Choza! Mr. Akimichi is my father," Choza explained, heading down the hall without looking over his shoulder to see if she followed.

Nina looked once more at Obito and he gave her two thumbs up before returning to the phone and computer.

"So, Nina. Is this your first office job?" Choza asked, keeping his tone casual as he led her down a long hallway.

"Yes. I've been in the service industry my whole life and decided it was time for a change," Nina answered, trying to choose her words carefully.

"Change is good," Choza started. "But you'll have quite the transition. I used to be a chef for a number of years and let me tell you, going from a job like that where you're active to sitting in an office for eight hours a day? It's awful!" Choza boomed with another laugh, stopping to hold the door open for her to a small conference room with a table that could fit eight chairs in the middle of the room.

"Oh," was the only response Nina could come up with. She hadn't thought about that aspect yet.

"Don't worry. When you see that first paycheck it'll all be worth it," Choza assured.

She sat down and he sat down across from her and opened a black folder that had been already set up on the table.

She could only hope that he would be right about that.

* * *

It took almost two hours to go through all of the paperwork. Nina had to sign what felt like a million non-disclosure agreements, photo releases, and protocol statements. She had written her social security number down approximately nine-thousand times, along with her name and address. If she had to sign her signature one more time she was going to vomit.

"Now comes the fun part," Choza said, putting all the papers into the black folder and standing up, waiting for Nina to follow his lead. "The tour."

"Today I'll introduce you to our head of accounting, our head of marketing, and our senior VP. Our CFO unfortunately is out of the office for the next few months," Choza explained as he checked his phone for emails.

"If you don't mind my asking," Nina started, mentally urging herself to speak a little louder and a little firmer, "Why introduce me to so many execs if I'm just an administrative assistant?"

Choza looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile, "because you'll be helping Obito with the scheduling for all of us," he told her, looking back to his phone.

The moment where Kakashi had told Obito to get his leads approved, despite the busy schedule of the CEO, suddenly made sense. If Obito managed Minato's schedule, he could make Kakashi wait on those leads for as long as he wanted.

Choza took her to the end of the hall where there was another a conference room, this one bigger with a table that was meant to seat probably at least thirty, though there were only a handful of people in the room.

Some of them looked familiar, some did not. She recognized the head of accounting, a man with scars on his face and dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, along with the head of marketing. He was another man with long hair, though his was blonde and much longer. There were several other directors in there. Those in finance, accounting, marketing, legal, and who knows what else, all welcoming her as if she were one of them.

"I'm sure Obito will be ecstatic to have some help around the office. He really has been working himself like a dog," The senior VP said with a chuckle. He was an older man, with his hair half grey, but he radiated wisdom. Choza had informed her that he was Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he had been one of the first people to work for Konoha Enterprises, years ago when the Senju brothers started the whole corporation.

"He flipped on me the other day when I told him there were no more three inch binders and started yelling about how he was going to start hiding them since no one told him when they were taking stuff," Inoichi, the head of marketing, told her, laughing as he recounted the memory.

"I'll take the hit for that," Shikaku, the scarred man who was also the head of accounting and finance, said as he sipped his coffee. "We put _everything_ in binders and it drives him crazy."

"Take notes, Nina. Finance hoards the binders," Choza said, elbowing her in the arm slightly.

Nina gave them all a tight smile. It wasn't that they weren't welcoming, because they absolutely were. They were all standing in the conference room drinking coffee and just having casual conversation. But mingling with people of this caliber was something new to her. The only time Nina had to mingle with people this high up in a company was when she was taking her clothes off from them to ogle at her.

But coffee conversation was something entirely new and frightening, and Nina suddenly found a new sense of respect for Madara. He mingled with these types of men all the time and did it in a strip club while somehow still retaining his dignity.

She would have to grill him for tips on how to do it.

She looked up from her coffee to see Shikaku Nara's eyes focused on her, despite there being a conversation going on around them.

She raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder to see if maybe he was watching someone behind her. He wasn't. And when she turned back around, he only shrugged and plunged his hands into his pockets and took a long swig of his coffee.

All she could think was that maybe he recognized her from the strip club, though doubted it as he seemed like a man who couldn't care less about a place like Mangekyo.

"Well, Nina. We've taken up enough of your time," Hiruzen Sarutobi started, placing his coffee on the table. "We'll let you be on your way. Don't be a stranger. I think I speak for all of us when I say we have an open door policy?" Hiruzen started, looking around the room. No one objected, though some shrugged as if to say _'open door policy only means if it's urgent'._ Nina still smiled at them all and thanked them for the welcome before she headed towards the reception area.

Choza asked if she needed him to walk her out, but she declined, saying she needed to learn the layout of the building sooner rather than later. Plus, there were only two turns, and she figured she could remember that.

As she walked down the hall, she kept her eyes focused on the floor, trying to remember the things Choza had said to her. He had been vague about her job description, and informed her that Obito was the one who would help her figure that out. He explained how payroll worked, and that she didn't have a direct manager as she and Obito were only admins, and he explained how when it came to ordering office supplies to never let things run low, as if they ever had investors come in, having little office supplies made the CEO look bad.

Minato had been absent the whole day and Nina couldn't have been more thankful. She wanted to drop to her knees and thank whatever higher power there was, because she didn't think she would be able to face him in front of all of the executives.

She knew she would eventually have to run into him, as it was his office after all, but there seemed to be no harm in delaying it.

In the midst of her thoughts, she almost collided into someone who had been walking down the hallway, and was startled to see the gray haired, young man that Obito claimed to hate.

"Sorry," Nina said hastily, remembering the way Kakashi had glowered at Obito.

Kakashi paused, and raised an eyebrow.

"You're the new admin, aren't you?" He asked, letting his skeptical gaze rake over her face.

"Yes. I'm Nina," She outstretched her hand, and waited for what felt like hours for Kakashi to take it. She almost took back her hand though when he just stared at it. Though eventually, he clasped it and pumped it twice.

"Kakashi," was all he said.

Nina tried to think of something to say, but what sort of thing did you ask a guy who looked like he was perpetually disinterested in anything you had to say?

"Well, Nina do me a favor. When you start, try to be useful and actually get my leads approved," was all Kakashi said before brushing past her and slipping into an office on the right hand side of the hall.

Nina blinked, dumbfounded at the lack of respect and continued towards the reception area, trying to contemplate what had just happened.

When she reached the main entrance, Obito had been groaning and running his hands over his face as he did.

Nina stood across from him at the desk and raised her eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. He stopped and looked at her after straightening his glasses.

"Problem?" She asked.

"I just got an email from finance saying they need a dozen five inch binders. I had five inch binders. They're gone. You know why they're gone? Because people take things and don't tell me. Do I look like a mind reader? Because the last I checked, I was not a mind reader! I can't let the supplies run out! But how am I supposed to order supplies if no one tells me what they take?!" Obito shouted, slamming his hand on his desk, which shook the cup of coffee that sat untouched and probably cold by the computer.

Unable to keep herself in check anymore, Nina erupted into giggles, laughing into her hand. Obito only gaped at her, as if he couldn't understand why anyone would find the matter of missing binders funny, but she couldn't help herself.

She just let it all out and let herself actually laugh.

* * *

Minato had been in his office for the entire morning, on a conference call with the Senju brothers. They finally got wind that Konoha Enterprises' top competitor, The Akatsuki Group. was threatening a lawsuit against them in regards to a trade secret.

Minato had been trying his hardest to avoid the lawsuit, asking his lawyers to handle things without going to court, but The Akatsuki Group wasn't having it. The CEO there had a personal vendetta against Minato, and nothing he did seemed to be able to deter the man's anger.

The Senju's were not amused with the ordeal to say the least, which didn't bode well for Minato since the annual shareholder meeting was on the horizon, with it being only weeks before his wedding. Unhappy Senju brothers meant an unhappy board. And an unhappy board meant a loss in job security.

His thoughts were interrupted by two knocks on the door of his office. Pushing his bangs back and leaning back into his chair, he let out a sigh.

"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal Shikaku Nara, holding several binders.

"Are those the quarterly reports?" Minato asked, eyeing the binders with caution.

"They are," Shikaku said, placing them on the desk.

Minato continued to stare at them. Last quarter hadn't been a good one. Hashirama told him he would find his footing as CEO and the company would make a comeback in the next quarter, but Tobirama said nothing and only glowered at him with his arms crossed.

Sure, the financial side of the business was primarily run by Jiraiya, his CFO. But still, Minato was the one who took the brunt of the hit when something went wrong.

"I think you should look at them. You might be surprised," Shikaku told him, placing a hand on his hip and giving Minato a side smile.

Never one to ignore his directors, Minato did as instructed, and opened the first earnings report. The accounting itself made little sense to him, though he still knew enough to be able to decipher the financial statements.

He took to the income statement first, and let his eyes glide down the page to see the net income.

Minato could feel a smile work its way onto his face, and letting out a sigh of relief, Minato closed the binder and stood up to shake Shikaku's hand.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Thank yourself and Jiraiya. I just tracked it all for you," Shikaku said, though he smiled as well.

"Well at least there's some good news to give the Senju's," Minato muttered, leaning on his desk as Shikaku threw himself into one of the chairs that sat in front of the desk.

"I take it they weren't happy about the lawsuit," Shikaku asked, though it was more of an observation.

"Hashirama said he was disappointed. You know, I'd expect that from Tobirama, but Hashirama? I don't like upsetting him," Minato said, happy that he was able to share his burdens with someone else.

Kushina hated when he talked about work at home, and she seemed so distant lately that he did anything in his power to keep her happy. So generally he spoke to Jiraiya about these problems, as the two of them often endured these issues together. But with Jiraiya's absence, Minato had to bottle everything up.

"You're too hard on yourself," Shikaku started.

"Well there's a lot of pressure being the youngest CEO in Konoha Enterprises' history," Minato grumbled, letting himself fall into self pity.

"They wouldn't have made you CEO if they weren't sure. Keep it together," Shikaku said, crossing his arms and inspecting him in a way that Tobirama would have appreciated.

"You're right," Minato said, though he still wanted to wallow a bit longer.

"On an unrelated note," Shikaku started. Something in his tone shifted that made Minato immediately raised an eyebrow. "Your new hire came in today and did some paperwork. Choza set up a meeting to introduce her to some of the execs."

 _Oh._

So that's what Shikaku wanted to talk about. It was strange enough, as Shikaku had better things to occupy his time with, but Minato could feel his stomach knot at the mention of Nina.

"And what did you think?" Minato asked, trying to tread as carefully as possible.

"She's pretty," Shikaku said, closing his eyes as he said it. "Too pretty to be an admin in fact. She should be working as a pharmaceutical sales rep for one of the big drug manufacturers."

Minato gave it some thought. Nina certainly had the looks for such a job, with dark hair, big brown eyes, and a body that… He made himself stop.

"She was the only candidate that seemed to take the job seriously. And Obito has been begging me to hire another admin," Minato tried to explain, feeling his body tense. He just hoped he didn't come across as defensive.

"Oh I could tell. She seemed both eager and nervous. But she got along great with everyone in the meeting," Shikaku uncrossed his arms and leaned back into the chair, and tapped his foot a few times on the floor. "My only question is why didn't you tell me you were hiring a stripper?"

Minato blinked. Once. Twice… Three times.

He could feel his mouth open to try and form a word, a sentence, _anything_ to rebut what Shikaku had just pointed out, but there was only silence

Shikaku smirked and chuckled to himself, but said nothing, waiting for Minato's answer.

"I…" He what? Didn't know she was a stripper? Didn't immediately recognize her when she came in for her interview? Didn't talk about how he knew her? He couldn't say any of that as they were all lies and Shikaku would know it.

"When we went out for your bachelor party, there was only one girl you looked at the entire night. And I get it, you didn't want to disrespect Kushina and you were uncomfortable, and the only girl you did look at was absolutely stunning. But I never would have thought you would have hired her."

Minato scrambled to get his thoughts in order and only nodded at what Shikaku told him. He only had half of an argument formed when his body switched into autopilot and he started defending his decision.

"She came in for the interview not long after the party. I interviewed several people and they were all kids fresh out of college that didn't seem to care because it's only an admin's position. She was the only one who took it seriously and Obito has been drowning for months. What was I supposed to do?" Minato could feel that knot in his stomach only worsen. He had hoped no one would recognize her, as they were all so shitfaced, but he should have known Shikaku better than that.

Shikaku put his hand up as he rose to his feet, "I don't have a problem with it, Boss. You know I only care whether or not someone can do their job well."

Minato sighed and pushed his bangs back.

"Do you think I made a mistake?"

Shikaku shrugged, "I only think it's a mistake if she ends up being bad at the job."

Minato frowned and looked around the room. What if someone else recognized her? What would it say about his reputation if people found out he hired a stripper?

"Don't worry, no one noticed her. They were all too drunk by the time she came on to remember what she looked like," Shikaku assured, plunging his hands into his pockets as he did. "We can keep this between us if you'd like."

"Please," Minato said without missing a beat.

"Your secret's safe with me," Shikaku promised, and Minato knew he was being truthful. If there was anyone he could trust in the corporate shark tank that was Konoha Enterprises it was himself, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and Shikaku.

"Just be careful," Shikaku warned, looking over his shoulder as he headed for the door. Minato frowned and crossed his arms.

"Be careful for what? She's a dancer. It's not like she's going to mug me," He said under his breath, feeling his frown only intensify.

"That's not what I meant," was the last thing Shikaku said before he slipped through the door and disappeared from view.

Minato let his eyes rest on the door as he mulled the words over. Hell if he knew what Shikaku meant, which only frustrated him. It was no secret that the Nara man was a genius. It was why he was the senior director of accounting and finance. He saw patterns in the numbers that escaped most people. And when Shikaku warned him about something, he always took caution, as the man never failed him before.

But he didn't know what Shikaku meant this time, and he didn't like it one bit.

All he knew was that tomorrow morning he would have another admin in his office, and that he wouldn't be able to avoid her as easily as he managed today.

* * *

**Author's note**

Sadly I tried all last week to upload this and the site just wasn't having it. Buuuuuttttt I'm back! Let's hope I can get people to come back to this lol


	6. Chapter 6

"This is never going to come off," Nina groaned as she scrubbed her skin raw with a damp towel in the back of Mangekyo.

Mei came over and laughed when she saw Nina struggling.

"That's why I hate group dances," Mei responded, still laughing as Nina struggled to get the God-forsaken glitter off.

"I was filling in for Shizune," Nina grumbled. She was covered in glitter from head to toe and no matter how many times she tried to wipe the glitter away, all she did was move it to another spot.

"Give it a rest. It'll come off in a few days."

Mei's words did nothing to help Nina's anxiety. She had ended up covered in glitter plenty of times in her years of working for Madara. She knew it took a few days to get most of the glitter off, and that random specks would appear around her apartment for months. But she didn't have that kind of time, as tomorrow was her first day at Konoha Enterprises.

"I need to get it off _tonight_ though," Nina said, rubbing the skin hard enough that she was turning it red.

She could feel the weight of Mei's stare on her and Nina stopped rubbing at her skin to meet the redhead's gaze.

"Is everything okay? You've been acting a little weird lately."

"Yeah, I'm just fine," Nina answered, looking away from her friend and throwing her clothes into her tote bag.

"You sure? You can talk to me."

Nina gave her a tight smile and swung the bag over her shoulder.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Mei, because she did. She just didn't want to jinx anything by talking about the new job, and she didn't want to upset anyone she worked with. She knew how people could get when they found out about someone possibly leaving.

"I know. See you tomorrow," Nina smiled at Mei and left the club, checking the time on her phone as she did.

It was almost three in the morning, and it generally took her a half hour to walk home from Mangekyo. That of course didn't include the time it would take for her to remove her makeup and shower because she was covered in sweat and glitter. Not mention the fact that she would also have to be up by seven in order to get ready for her new job.

Maybe sleep deprivation would look good on her.

* * *

"You're sure this time?" Minato asked over the phone as he got out of his car and headed towards the skyscraper that was Konoha Enterprises with his briefcase and coffee in hand.

"Yes, I'm sure! Ask me again and see what happens!" An irritated Kushina snapped at him from the other line.

Minato rolled his eyes. It was just a question. She didn't have to bite his damn head off.

"I'm only asking because you've been late every time we've tried to have lunch. I only have an hour break and I don't want to spend half of it waiting," He explained, pulling open the door of the building and heading for the elevator.

It was already 9:30, and he was late.

"I've got things to do too, you know! It's not like I spend all day sitting on my ass!" She yelled loud enough into the phone that Minato had to hold his cell away from his ear.

He was getting a headache and he didn't even have his first meeting yet. Talk about a great start to the morning.

"I never said…" he stopped and took a moment to compose himself, thankful that he was the only person entering the elevator. He loved Kushina with all his heart, he did. But when she was on one of her rampages there was no use in trying to reason with her. "I've got to go. I'll see you at one?"

"Yes!" She snapped before the line went dead.

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose after pocketing his phone and sighed.

"Love you too," He muttered under his breath, staring at the light on the elevator, eager to get to the top floor.

When the elevator opened up, Minato stepped off and couldn't get to his office fast enough. He had a meeting at ten and wanted at least the morning to debrief himself on what exactly he had planned for the day. He could only hope that Obito would have the time to give him the rundown before his first meeting.

When Minato entered the reception area, he was surprised to see two figures at the desk.

The last time there were two figures at the desk, Obito had just started as an administrative assistant. At the time, Obito only handled the office supplies of the floor and ensured each department was taken care of. When the other admin left, Obito somehow ended up being both an administrative assistant along with the secretary for himself and most of the other executives. The kid had one hell of a work ethic, despite his tendencies to run late.

But it had been so long, that the sight of two people at the desk was enough to throw Minato off.

"There he is!" Obito greeted with a huge smile on his face.

Normally Minato would have smiled back at him, but his attention was elsewhere, on the new administrative assistant who stood on Obito's left.

She was just as pretty as he remembered, with soft dark hair that hung in loose waves over her shoulders, warm brown eyes, delicate facial features, and a waist so small it almost hurt.

"Good morning, Mr. Namikaze," she said, letting her eyes fall to the desk so she didn't have to look at him.

"You okay, Boss?" Obito asked, breaking Minato out of his trance.

"Yeah," Minato said, suddenly feeling out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. Do you have a second? I was hoping you could give me today's rundown," Minato asked. He knew Obito would say he had time even if he didn't, because you just didn't say 'no' to the CEO of Konoha Enterprises, but Minato still had to try and give the guy a choice.

"Sure," Obito answered, picking up a tablet and nodding at Nina to follow him.

Minato headed in the direction of his office, hearing both Obito and Nina behind him. He had hoped that only Obito would come with, but he should have known better. It was Obito's job to train Nina, so it only made sense that he wanted her to follow them. But Minato was quickly learning that concentrating around the new admin would be much easier said than done.

As he headed for his office, Obito was rattling off appointments for the day. He was to meet with Inoichi at ten to discuss new marketing strategies, have a conference call with Jiraiya at two, meet with legal at three to talk about the pending lawsuit between Konoha Enterprises and The Akatsuki Group and a series of other tasks that Minato would most likely forget about if it hadn't been for Obito setting up reminders to pop up on his phone and computer.

Minato entered his office, all too aware of the two sets of footsteps behind him and dropped his briefcase on the desk, taking a sip of his coffee as he did.

He turned back around to look at his admins and noticed the way Nina seemed to be looking at anything and everything that wasn't him.

He could feel his lips press together in a tight line.

He understood why. Sure, it was awkward as hell that they knew each other the way they did. Sure, it was a risky move to hire a stripper as an admin, but didn't she see that he wasn't like everyone else? Didn't she see that he wasn't some prick who thought she was only a piece of meat? Didn't she see that he had faith in her?

Why did she have to ignore him like that?

"Um Boss?"

The sound of Obito's voice grabbed Minato's attention, forcing him to look away from Nina.

"Sorry, Obito. What was that?" He asked, meeting Obito's dark eyes.

"Did you get all that?" Obito asked, looking between both Minato and the tablet he balanced in his hand.

No. He didn't get a single thing.

"Yes. Thank you."

Obito nodded at Minato and started to head back towards the door to his office with Nina at his heels.

He should have said something to her. Maybe part of the reason she was ignoring him was because he hadn't actually spoken to her. He had just stared and that was only _extremely_ weird. He figured since he was the one who hired her, he was the one who should probably break the ice, right?

"Nina," He said, immediately regretting his decision when those warm brown irises turned to lock with his own blue ones. In only a matter of milliseconds, he had been disarmed.

"Yes, Mr. Namikaze?"

If she was annoyed, it didn't show. However, Minato knew better than to let himself fall into a false sense of security. If there was one thing Kushina Uzumaki taught him, it was to never let his guard down around pretty women.

But Minato didn't have anything to say. He should have prepared something or should have gone with common sense and wished her luck on her first day, but no. Minato had to be an idiot all because of a pair of big brown eyes.

"You uh, have something on you," were the first words that came from his mouth, and damn, did Minato want to slap himself in the face because who the hell in their right mind would say that?

He had gestured to the spot towards the top of his chest, the same part of Nina's that was exposed due to the cut in her shirt, where he could see something shimmering in the light depending on where she stood.

She shifted to look down and he could see her face turn a light pink as she rubbed her hand across the top of her chest.

Obito narrowed his eyes and looked at where Nina was rubbing at her skin with her hand. After a moment he started laughing, guiding her to the door.

"Why do you have glitter all over you?"

Obito opened the door and they started through it when Minato heard Nina's hasty response.

"Oh I went to a party last night."

The door closed and Minato looked at where the two admins had been standing only a few seconds ago. He let out a groan and impatiently shoved his bangs out of his face.

"Smooth, Minato. Real smooth."

* * *

"Just so you know, you don't have to be so shy with Mr. Namikaze," Obito told Nina after they had gotten back to the reception desk.

"Huh?" Nina asked. Had she been shy? Weren't the admins supposed to make themselves small and only speak when spoken to? Especially when dealing with executives?

"I know he's the CEO and all, but he's a great guy. He's almost like a father to me," Obito told her, his eyes shimmering with affection and pride.

"Obito, he's not much older than you. He's probably not much older than me," Nina pointed out.

"Yeah, but still. He's not like most bosses. He genuinely cares about all of us. Trust me, you'll start to warm up to him."

Nina could feel her own apprehension at the idea. There was something about Minato Namikaze that put her on edge. It wasn't the fact that he had seen her naked on a stage, she was used to that. What she wasn't used to was not being completely judged for her job. He was a Chief Executive Officer for one the country's most successful businesses, and he didn't look down on her, a stripper. Instead he gave her a chance.

But there had to have been something in it for him, because why else hire her? Why hire someone with no office experience who also takes her clothes off for money? Why risk the scrutiny from coworkers?

He was too good to be true, and in Nina's experience, if something seemed too good to be true, then it generally was.

* * *

"Great job today, Guys! I'll see you all this weekend," Kushina told her yoga class as everyone began to pack up their things. She looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall to see it was getting close to one o'clock.

She should have been rushing to pack up her stuff so she could meet with Minato for lunch, but instead she chatted with her departing students.

"Oh Mei," Kushina said, grinning at the redhead who had been flirting with one of the few guys in the class minutes ago.

Mei looked over and nodded at her, slinging her yoga mat over her shoulder and crossing the room to speak with her.

"Thanks for the class today, Kushina," Mei said with a small smile on her face.

"No problem. I love it, you know?" Without warning, Kushina thought back to the girl Mei had brought with her to the last class. What Kushina loved most about teaching, was the fact that she was able to help people. She had helped numerous people with depression, their weight, their spirituality, and everything in between. And the thought of Mei's friend who just radiated anxiety made Kushina want to reach out and help.

"How's your friend?" Kushina asked, thinking of the pretty dark haired girl.

"It's funny you ask. She's been off lately but won't tell me what's going on," Mei told her, placing a hand on her hip.

"Interesting," Kushina said. "You should tell her to stop by. I'd really love to work with her," Kushina tacked on.

Mei chuckled and shrugged, "I'll try. But Nina's a tough one…" Mei paused and looked off in the distance, clicking her tongue when she finally looked back at Kushina. "She's a bit rough around the edges to say the least."

Kushina raised her eyebrow, unsure of what that meant, but still said goodbye to Mei and the rest of her students nonetheless.

By the time the room emptied, Kushina looked back at the clock to see it was 12:55.

It would take her about fifteen to twenty minutes to get out to their usual lunch spot, and Minato would go off if he saw she was late.

She paused to consider canceling on him all together, but let the pang of guilt in her chest win. She couldn't cancel on him. He would be so disappointed, and when he finally got her alone he would confront her about it, asking if she even still cared about him.

The better decision would be to bite the bullet and just go to the lunch a little later than she promised…

As it turned out, it took her twenty-five minutes to make it to the restaurant. She checked the clock on her phone and was dismayed to see it was 1:20pm. She felt like she should have patted herself on the back, as she hadn't been that on time in who knows in how long, but the look at Minato's face was enough to stop her dead in her tracks.

"You're late," he said with his eyebrows knitting together.

"The class went over," she deflected, sitting down and picking up the menu to look through it, despite already knowing that she wanted ramen.

"Kushina," Minato pressed.

Fighting back the urge to groan, Kushina looked up and met her soon-to-be husband's eyes. They were just so blue. She herself had blue eyes, but they were darker in comparison. Minato's were the color of the sky, and as a girl she had fallen in love with those irises of his. But now they just overwhelmed her.

"I know I'm late. I'm sorry," she said quickly, trying to avoid getting guilt tripped.

He said nothing and only sighed, taking a sip of his water. Only choosing to speak when the waiter came over to take their orders. Afterwards he went back to staying silent, something that he knew drove her up a wall.

"How's work?" She asked, hating the heavy silence they sat in.

"It's work," He said, his tone leaving nothing for her to work with.

She let out a loud huff and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair and glowering at him. She had loved Minato Namikaze since she was just a girl. She fell in love with him when she was still a child and she was lucky enough that he returned her feelings when they got a little older. They dated all throughout middle school, high school, and college with only one break in between. The break only lasted for two weeks though, and before anyone knew it they were back together again.

In high school they had been voted as the couple "most likely to get married", and sure enough, there she was with a ring on her finger, engaged to the youngest CEO in the history of the multi-billion-dollar company, Konoha Enterprises.

She was so lucky. Women would kill to be in her position. Kushina got to be with a man who loved her, took care of her expenses so she didn't have to work, and who had a kind heart. Minato was loving, caring, and everything in between. She should have been on cloud nine as she planned their wedding.

But…

"I'm going to have to work late all this week," Minato's voice broke the silence and Kushina looked up from the table to meet his gaze.

"Why?" She asked, feeling disappointment despite the fact she actually enjoyed the nights he stayed late.

"Because of the lawsuit. The Senju's aren't happy so I'm going to be working with legal all week."

Kushina frowned, but shrugged it off with a sip of her water. She liked the freedom of not having to worry about him at home. But she still loved Minato nonetheless, and she was all too aware of the stress his job had been causing him.

Hell, she could barely remember the last time they had sex since he was always at work and she was always asleep by the time he got home.

"That's too bad," Kushina said, leaning on her hand.

"I'm sorry. I know I said I would be around to help with the wedding this week," Minato said, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his.

His hands were larger than hers and callused as well. They engulfed Kushina's own and she only stared in response.

"It's not a big deal," She said, withdrawing her hand.

An unmistakable look of pain flashed across Minato's face, and Kushina should have felt a pang of guilt in her chest, but it never came.

The rest of lunch continued in silence.

* * *

"Should I be taking notes?" Nina asked as she and Obito sat together at lunch. The café in the Konoha Enterprises skyscraper was beautiful and looked like the most expensive food place Nina had ever been to. At home, Nina's fridge was almost always empty. She might find a browning head of lettuce or maybe a potato in there, but that was generally it. That and coffee. Most of the time Madara would let the girls order food at Mangekyo, and if it was Nina who asked, he would pay for it.

She had only brought an apple with her for lunch since she had just paid her rent and didn't have money to buy, and after looking around the café she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to afford anything anyway.

As Obito was finishing up his ramen, he began rattling off facts to her about the people they worked with, pointing out who was who. It was what had prompted Nina's question about whether or not she should have been taking notes.

Obito waved his hand in response as he began to point out different people.

"That's Hiruzen Sarutobi over there. I know you met him when you did your paperwork. He's great. Seriously, if there's ever something that Mr. Namikaze can't handle, he's the one who picks up the slack. And he's a good guy too, so never be afraid to say hello," Obito said, nodding his head in the direction of the Senior VP.

"That other guy with Kakashi, the goofy looking one, that's Might Guy. He's another salesman and he and Kakashi are always trying to outdo each other."

Nina looked at where Might Guy was talking animatedly, throwing his arms in the air and shouting, all while Kakashi just sat there looking at him, not saying a word.

"Guy actually always does a little bit better than Kakashi," Obito tacked on with a chuckle.

Nina let herself smile. She could see why. It appeared that Guy was the type of person that wouldn't take no for an answer, so she could see how he could outdo the quiet Kakashi in sales.

Obito continued pointing out people, explaining their roles and importance to the company. Nina only half listened until her eyes fell on a man who sat by himself at a table against one of the floor to ceiling windows.

He had an X shaped scar on his chin and a bandage over his eye. He didn't seem to mind sitting alone, but there was something about him that didn't sit right with Nina.

"Who's that?" She asked.

Obito followed her line of vision to the man and his nose scrunched up, ever so slightly. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and lowered his voice to a whisper so soft, that Nina had to strain to hear.

"That's Danzo. He's our Chief Legal Counsel. I wouldn't try talking to him if I were you. He's been after Mr. Namikaze's position ever since Tobirama Senju stepped down as CEO years ago. He's a great lawyer because he's such a snake, but seriously. Stay away from him."

Nina wouldn't have approached him even if Obito hadn't warned her. That meant a lot too, as she worked for Madara Uchiha, a man that struck fear into the souls of anyone who dared to make eye contact with him.

"Any who, you ready to go? I was late yesterday and if Mr. Namikaze sees that I'm late again today he's going to lecture me," Obito admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

Nina nodded and followed him out of the café and into the elevators where they were taken to the top floor.

They got an hour every day for lunch, and Obito had told her that more often than not he went over his hour break. He said he always had a reason though, like helping a busy mother. Nina didn't buy it, but she didn't call Obito out on it either.

They had been sitting at the reception desk maybe for twenty minutes, Obito showing Nina how to use the scheduling software and the protocol they had to use for ordering supplies, when Minato walked in.

"Hey Boss," Obito greeted with a casual wave.

Minato only looked at Obito and gave him a weak smile that barely reached his eyes as he walked by, heading towards his office.

"What was that about?" Nina asked, not sure if she had seen Minato so… _Defeated_ before.

"Eh," Obito started with a shrug, looking around to make sure there was no one else around them before he lowered his voice. "I think he's having problems with his fiancée. Lately whenever he comes back from lunch with her he looks like that."

"Must be pretty bad. He looks like he came back from a war," Nina thought aloud, not even realizing she had said it.

"Yeah," Obito agreed, pausing to compose his thoughts. "I've only been here for a little while, maybe a little over a year. Mr. Namikaze started about two years before I did. He was really happy when I first started, but within the past couple months he's been looking more and more like that. I'd love to ask about it, but I'm just his admin."

"It seems like he cares about you though," Nina offered. She had definitely picked up on a fatherly vibe between Minato and Obito, despite the small age gap, and she doubted that Minato would be rude to the dark haired boy she worked with.

"Oh he does! He cares about all of us. And his fiancée absolutely adores me," Obito explained, puffing his chest out with pride as he wore a great smile on his face. "Hopefully she stops in one day and you can meet her. She's great! The total opposite of Mr. Namikaze in every way imaginable."

Nina thought about meeting Minato's fiancée, and found herself horrified at the idea. She didn't think there was anyway in hell she would be able to look that woman in the eye, knowing that she had stripped for her soon-to-be-husband.

"Does she come in a lot?" Nina asked, holding her breath for fear of Obito's answer.

"Well she used to, but now that I think about it, she hasn't come in for a couple of months now…" Obito said, letting a frown take over his face. "They're definitely going through something."

Nina decided not to press after that. Instead, she spent the afternoon familiarizing herself with the software the office used. The phone would go through periods where it rang off the hook, followed by periods of dead silence. Obito would viciously type away on his keyboard, ordering supplies, sending out emails, and arranging schedules. Nina would try to help where she could, feeling bad that she wasn't pulling her weight, but one smile from Obito reassured her. He told her he wasn't worried and that by the end of the week she would be able to help with the scheduling. He did warn her though not to rush through it, since he would rather her be familiar with the protocols so there wouldn't be any mistakes.

So she pushed her way through the afternoon, already staring the clock down, waiting for it to be five o'clock. She was only a half hour away when Shikaku Nara came over to the desk, keeping his hands in his pockets while he waited for Obito's attention.

"I swear… If you tell me you need binders, Shikaku," Obito started with a scowl on his face.

"I do. But I only need three inch ones for the intangible assets. There's no more in the supply room and I know you have a stash," Shikaku explained, giving Obito a side smirk. Nina looked between the scarred man and the young admin, counting the seconds until the stand off ended.

Obito pouted his lips in an exaggerated manner and looked at his nails, buffing them on his shirt as he did, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Shikaku huffed and looked at Nina, "I told you he's crazy about the binders."

The phrase seemed to trigger Obito, as he stood up and slammed his hand on the desk, "If you would tell me when you took them I wouldn't need to hide them!" Obito shouted, pointing a finger in Shikaku's face.

Nina all but gasped at the idea of yelling at a higher-up, but Shikaku didn't seem bothered. He actually seemed to be expecting it, as he didn't even raise an eyebrow or open his mouth. He only looked bored as he waited for Obito's outburst to end.

"Do you have them or not?" Shikaku asked.

Obito went to respond but stopped at an alert that popped up on his computer screen. He adjusted his glasses as he took a look at it and cursed under his breath, digging through one of the desk drawers.

Nina could feel Shikaku's eyes on her, and she felt unbearably tight in her chest. She didn't like the way the Nara man seemed to be able to look right through her. It was like she didn't exist, or that he could see all of her secrets.

She hated people like that.

"Nina, do me a favor," Obito said, getting her attention. "Can you get Mr. Namikaze to sign these? They're Guy and Kakashi's new leads. I may not like Kakashi, but I know better than to get in the middle of his competitions with Guy."

Obito thrust the papers out to Nina and she was forced to take them, taking a step backwards as she did.

"I'll just drop them off then?" She asked, swallowing hard as she did.

"Nah, he just needs to quick look over them. Don't leave until he signs them. It shouldn't take more than five minutes," Obito said, walking out from behind the desk.

Nina blinked and thought of having to be in an enclosed space with Minato for an extended period of time, without anyone else there to act as the buffer. Just that morning he had looked at her with those eyes that were the color of the sky, and she had felt like an idiot when she realized that the only reason he was looking at her like that because she had _glitter_ on her.

Who knows what else he would notice?

"How about I just go get the binders? I'm sure Mr. Namikaze would rather you be the one to bother him about signing something," Nina tried. She wasn't sure why, but there was a terrible wave of anxiety washing over her. It was cold and felt like ice was in her stomach the more she dwelled on the thought.

But if Obito thought something was off, he didn't show it.

"Oh no. I can't have my secret stash getting out there. Then we'll really never have supplies," Obito said, shooting a scowl at Shikaku as he headed off down the hall.

Shikaku stood in front of the desk, watching her again and Nina cleared her throat, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Is there a problem, Nina?" Shikaku asked, quirking his eyebrow to see what her response would be.

The way he looked at her, as if he already knew what she would do, pissed her off for some reason, and she felt the unexpected need to do the opposite of what he expected.

"Not at all. Excuse me," She remarked, turning on her heel and walking towards Minato's office.

With every step her heels seemed higher, her legs felt heavier, and her stomach twisted tighter. She had taken several deep breaths and talked herself up in her head, saying that this was her job and that he was her boss, so naturally she would have to run errands for him. It would be a simple task to get him to sign the papers and that would be it.

Arriving at the doors, Nina knocked twice, and waited for a response.

She was greeted with a weak, "It's open."

Bracing herself, Nina opened the heavy door and slipped into Minato Namikaze's office.

As she walked closer, she could see that he was seated at his desk, leaning his chin in his hand as he scrolled through emails on his computer. He didn't look up or even so much as turn his head towards her when she entered his office. She wasn't sure whether she should have been relieved or not.

"Mr. Namikaze," Nina said with a clear of her throat.

Minato turned his head at the sound of her voice, and instantaneously straightened up with his blue eyes widening.

"Nina," He said, sounding as shocked as he looked.

When Shikaku Nara looked at Nina, he seemed to be seeing through her, as if she was some book that could be read in only a few short hours. But when Minato looked at her, it was like he was looking _into_ her.

No one in Nina's entire life had ever looked at her in such a way. She was used to being ogled at from Mangekyo, and was even used to being eye fucked, as she knew she was blessed with good looks. But getting looked _into_ was something entirely new, and downright frightening.

"Obito asked me to get these signed," She said, trying to refocus his attention on something that _wasn't_ her.

Minato's sky bright eyes fell to the papers in her hand that she placed on his desk, and met her own eyes for a brief second before he picked up a pen and flipped through the pages, already signing his name on several lines.

The brief eye contact made her want to jump out of her skin.

As he flipped through the papers, Minato cracked a smile and even laughed under his breath a few times. Nina frowned and felt her eyebrows furrow, wondering if he was laughing at something she did, because what the hell could have been so amusing about documents?

"Is there something funny, Mr. Namikaze?" She asked, hoping that her tone didn't sound as icy as she thought it did.

It must have though, as Minato tore his gaze away from the papers and was looking into Nina's eyes once again. This time he wore a smile though, one that made the corners of his eyes crinkle into little crow's feet.

"These are the leads for Kakashi and Guy. It's just funny how competitive the two are when Kakashi originally wanted nothing to do with him. But now they're practically best friends, despite being rivals."

"Oh," Nina muttered, feeling stupid.

Minato looked back down, and signed his name one last time, standing up and handing the papers back to her over his desk.

He was taller up close, and despite wearing heels, she barely reached his chin. Nina wondered if she would only reach his chest if she wore flats.

"Nina," Minato started, looking directly into her eyes once again. "I don't want things to be awkward between us. I hired you because I knew you could do the job, and do it well. I know I'm your boss, but I'd also like to be your friend, or at least acquaintance. I value the people who work here very much, and you're no different."

Nina blinked, slightly dumbfounded.

"But I'm just a strip—"

"You're my administrative assistant," Minato cut her off before she could even say the word.

She wasn't sure what to say. Just the way he looked at her was enough to tell Nina that Minato really believed in her. And she believed him… But for someone to have that kind of faith in her, despite knowing that she took her clothes off for money, well… It hurt, but in a good way.

"O-okay," She said. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Why should she have to be awkward with him? Sure, he had seen her dance, but so had most of the other executives, they just didn't know it. Sure, he may have been the only one who recognized her, but at the end of the day he was still the one who had enough faith in her to give her the job.

Minato gave her a great smile, another one that reached his eyes as he held out his hand for her to shake.

And Nina, for who knows what reason, found herself smiling back him. She could feel the skin around her own eyes crinkle, and despite feeling stupid she reached out and shook his hand.

It was bigger than hers, warmer, and more callused. Nina didn't think it was possible for anyone to have rougher hands than hers, as she needed those calluses for the pole, but Minato's were.

But most of all, his hand felt steady and safe, and so did the smile he gave her.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Fun fact: most of the office shenanigans are actually based off of my internship. Our admin also freaks out over binders and finance absolutely is to blame lol. Getting binders literally turns into a war and our admin hides them from my department.

Also: shout out to zerom1v! Thank you so much for your consistent reviews! You and I are definitely on the same page when it comes to a lot of things you want to see!

Thanks for reading! Drop a review!


	7. Chapter 7

"Katia," it was Madara's voice, using Nina's stage name since she was in the front of the club. She checked her watch and saw it was midnight, already preparing herself for when Madara asked her to stay late.

"No," Nina said.

Madara disregarded her and went on anyway, "Zip it. I need you to open tomorrow."

Nina blinked, not sure if she had heard him correctly or not.

"What?"

"I've got something that will hold me up so I can't open, and Tsunade has the flu. That means I need you to open," Madara explained. He casually shrugged his shoulders and held his hands behind his back as his eyes scanned the club. Somehow he managed to look bored and reprimanding all at the same time.

Nina didn't get out of Konoha Enterprises until five o'clock, and Madara liked the opener to be at Mangekyo around four to do some cleaning, check the bar's register, and to ensure that the house was staffed accordingly for the night.

She couldn't be in two places at once.

"I can't," Nina said, thinking of the way Minato looked when he reassured her that he valued her as part of the team.

Madara crossed his arms and then looked at Nina. He furrowed his eyebrows and curled his upper lip, ever so slightly.

"What?"

"Why can't Ay open?" Nina asked, trying to avoid his incoming question. It was a fair enough response from her. Ay used to work the first shift at the bar, so he was always opening for a while there. Granted, the nights he opened it was always when Madara, Tsunade, or even Nina herself was around, but it was still a valid point.

"I'm not asking Ay to open. I'm asking you."

There were very few times in the several years that Nina had known Madara Uchiha that he had made her nervous. She had been working for him since she was sixteen, and at twenty-twoshe could only count on one hand how many times the man frightened her. If her nerves hadn't been so steeled, the way he looked at her in that moment would have paralyzed her with fear.

"Well I can't," Nina retorted, mustering up some of the courage that made her notorious for going head to head with the owner of the club.

Madara closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. Maybe that was one of his anger management tactics.

"Is there _any_ way you could do it?"

Nina could feel her eyebrow raising.

"I would have to come in late," She told him, feeling guilt knot its way into her stomach. She didn't like to let Madara down, especially when she had so much to thank him for.

"How late?" He asked, opening his eyes. They were blacker than his hair, and all the more soul crushing.

Nina paused. If she left Konoha Enterprises a half hour early, there would be no reason why she couldn't make it to Mangekyo by five. They were both downtown, and Mangekyo was only a few city blocks away from her office.

"I could maybe be here by five," She offered.

She could hear Madara let out an 'ugh', despite the sound of the club around them. He rubbed his forehead and let out a great sigh.

"Fine. Be quick about opening though."

"Who's closing?" She asked. Now she was the one crossing her arms. She may have let him guilt her into opening, but no way in hell would she let him guilt her into closing. If she did that there would be no way she would survive at Konoha the following day.

"I will," Madara told her, rolling his eyes as he did. As if she was supposed to be able to read his mind.

"So you can close but can't open? What? You got a hot date?" Nina teased.

Madara actually looked disgusted, his eyes widening in horror as his nose scrunched up. Nina actually could feel laughter bubble up in her throat, but tried her best to keep it in check since Madara seemed especially irritable that night.

"I have an important business meeting if you must know," He said.

Nina could feel the corner of her mouth quirk upward, feeling pride well through her chest knowing that she was probably the only person he told.

"Oh yeah? Does this business meeting include installing new poles? Because I've been telling you for months that ours have been rusting and—"

"They're getting replaced in two weeks. Be here at five and make quick work of it please. Ay is the bartender, Bee is the bouncer, and you'll have to be Tsunade for the night."

Nina cocked her head to the side. "Does that mean you'll pay me what you pay her?"

Madara scowled at her in response, "I'll pay you a flat rate to be the House Mom for the night. You girls can't be trusted to clean up after yourselves and to not steal each other's tips. I don't want an earful the next day about all the bullshit."

Nina actually let herself laugh this time, holding her stomach as she did. She had been a stand in House Mom several times and to be quite frank, it sucked. She didn't know how Tsunade did it every night. As House Mom she was expected to keep the back clean (which was way too difficult when there were at least ten girls scheduled every night who got ready back there), keep the peace among the girls (again, another feat that was nearly impossible), do little things like fix a broken heel, and endless other duties that involved taking care of the other dancers as if they were her children.

The times that Nina had been a stand in House Mom had been enough to make her really appreciate everything Tsunade had done for them.

"Fair enough," Nina agreed after she was done giggling. Madara shook his head and began to walk away, but not before Nina got the last word in.

"Have fun on your date!"

* * *

Obito's eyes drifted up from the computer screen when he saw Nina come through the doors. It was five minutes to nine and even though she was on time, she looked like hell. She still wore her sunglasses, despite being inside, so Obito assumed she must have been hungover from a party or something. But if she was hungover, she sure didn't act like it.

She wore a beige, tight skirt that started high on her waist and stopped a few inches before her knees, with a long sleeved white blouse that she tucked in. Along with the outfit, she wore a pair of heels that were so high and so thin, Obito found himself wondering how she didn't break an ankle.

He had seen enough of the women there stumble in heels half the height and double the width, and found himself impressed at how easily she maneuvered in them. She must have practically lived in those shoes with the way she walked in them.

"Long night?" Obito asked, flashing her a smile as she sat down in the seat next to him. She took off her sunglasses and he saw dark purple circles beneath her bloodshot eyes.

She may not have been hungover, but she definitely was sleep deprived.

"Didn't sleep very well," she answered.

And Obito believed her, hearing the thickness in her voice that he often had when he first woke up in the morning.

He made a mental note to surprise her with coffee tomorrow morning.

"Well there's coffee in the kitchen and it's free. I suggest you get to it before Choza does. He'll drink the whole pot," Obito pointed out.

Nina gave him a weak smile in response and began to log on to her computer.

He turned back to his own computer and looked over Mr. Namikaze's schedule, making sure everything was set up accordingly.

He had a phone conference with Jiraiya at noon, and a meeting with Danzo at four. Other than that, his schedule was open. Though Obito knew that just because Mr. Namikaze's schedule wasn't full, didn't mean the guy wasn't busy.

Those were usually the days Minato hardly ever left his office as he would use the time to catch up on past due paperwork.

"Obito," Nina asked, swiveling around in the chair so she could get a better look at him. Obito looked away from his computer and focused his attention on the pretty admin.

"What's up?"

"I hate to ask this, especially since I'm new, but is there anyway I could leave work a little earlier today? Like instead of leaving at five I could leave at four-thirty?" Nina paused, biting down on her lower lip. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

Obito couldn't hide the shock at the fact that someone was asking _his_ permission to do anything. Even though technically speaking he was Nina's supervisor, he was still only an admin. It didn't get much lower than him.

Nina's eyebrows knitted together as she continued to bite down on her bottom lip. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen so much anxiety roll off of another person before, but he found himself wishing he could help her ease up a little.

"Well I don't have a problem with it, but you'd have to ask Mr. Namikaze since we're the ones who handle the scheduling. Generally, you have to run it by him first," Obito told her.

He didn't miss the way a look of brief horror flashed across her face. He had noticed that a few times since she started just the other day. Whenever she had to encounter Mr. Namikaze, her warm brown eyes would get big like that, and then she would start to stutter.

Obito could think of no reason why anyone would have such a reaction to Mr. Namikaze, who was all kind smiles and good intentions, but Nina must have had a reason.

Maybe he reminded her of an ex or something. Obito didn't doubt that a girl who looked like Nina had dated her fair share of executives before.

"You think he'll be upset?" Nina whispered softly, leaning closer.

Obito could feel a smile play on his face. If he hadn't already had his heart set on someone else, he was sure he could have fallen in love with the pretty raven haired girl right then and there.

"We _are_ talking about the same Mr. Namikaze right?" Obito teased with a chuckle.

The relief on Nina's face was palpable as she exhaled and pressed her hand to her chest. Obito raised an eyebrow and leaned his chin on his hand, tapping the side of his cheek.

"He's already here if you want to talk to him before he gets too busy," Obito offered. His mind flashed back to when Minato got there only minutes after Obito did. He had looked sleep deprived as well. "But bring him a coffee. It'll cheer him up."

Nina stood up, bringing attention to her legs that were a mile long.

"If you say so," She responded, rubbing the back of her head.

"He takes it black with two sugars," Obito told her as she headed in the direction of the kitchen on their floor.

"You know it's really sad that you know that," Nina teased with a smile playing on her face, one that made dimples pierce her cheeks.

Obito scoffed and crossed his arms.

If only it was that easy to make Rin smile.

* * *

Minato had only been in his office for all of fifteen minutes when someone was already knocking on the door. He could feel his lips tug into a frown and he sighed. Why was it next to impossible for him to be left alone?

"Come in," he called out, looking at his computer and letting his eyes glaze over an email from Danzo. He really should have been more concerned about the issues with The Akatsuki Group, but it had taken a back seat because all of the drama with Kushina.

Nina walked in, holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hand, wearing a nervous smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Minato tried his hardest to only look at her face, he really did, but found it exceptionally difficult to do so when she had legs that went on for days.

"Obito said you could use some coffee," she said quickly, walking over to his desk and reaching her arm across his desk to hand him the cup.

Minato let himself smile as he took it, his fingers brushing against hers.

"He would be correct," Minato admitted. He had already had one cup of coffee, but still felt like he was going to pass out.

He had spent the better part of the night arguing with Kushina, and by the time their fight had concluded, she locked him out of the bedroom. He had to sleep on the couch in his work clothes from the day and had a restless night's sleep where he tossed and turned.

It really wasn't all that different from any other night, but the couch hurt his back.

Minato let his eyes flicker up to meet Nina's and found that she looked as sleep deprived as he felt. There were dark purple circles under her scorching brown eyes, and the whites were almost completely bloodshot.

"You look like you could use the coffee more though," Minato pointed out, putting the cup to his lips and taking a small swig.

As he tasted it, he was surprised when he realized she knew how he took his coffee.

"Considering that I average about three hours a night, you wouldn't be wrong," Nina answered, flashing him a smile.

The dimples that pierced her cheeks were so deep that Minato had half the mind to wonder if they went all the way through.

"Oh yeah? Small world," he told her, leaning on his hand and feeling his lips stretch into a smile. He knew he probably looked like an idiot, but he couldn't find it in him to care.

"You too?" she asked, sitting down in one of the chairs across from his desk.

He liked her better at eye level. Her legs couldn't distract him and he could see her warm brown irises when she wasn't towering over him.

Although she towered over him when he was sitting at his desk and when she was in heels, he doubted she would reach even his chin if she wore flats or no shoes at all. Aside from her height, he noticed that she had such a small waist that he probably could have wrapped his arms around her and still touched his own ribs. With such a tiny, birdlike frame, he wasn't at all surprised in her choice of heels.

"I haven't slept well in months," he admitted.

Nina clicked her tongue as she shook her head. Minato felt his smile grow at the endearing gesture.

"I've found that people who sleep like that have no place in corporate," she told him with her eyes twinkling.

Minato narrowed his eyes and let out a chuckle. "What does that mean?"

"It means that those of us who don't sleep well tend to do better in jobs that revolve around the night scene," she started. "Servers, bartenders, bouncers… Those people."

Minato mulled it over. He had never been much of a night owl, and the fact that he was now was not by choice. Often when he went to bed he couldn't stay asleep, as Kushina practically beat him up in her sleep. It was mainly due to whatever vivid dreams she had that night. He noticed her dreams started several months ago, back when they first started fighting.

He hadn't had a good night's sleep since.

"That's why you're sleep deprived though, isn't it? You're probably still working at the club," He asked, studying her face.

Her expression then shifted from warm and open, with gentle smiles and twinkling eyes, to one that was colder and closed off. Her smile disappeared as her lips pursed into a thin line and her eyebrows knitted together.

Minato felt his stomach jump. Why did he always have to screw things up with her? Why did he suddenly lose all common sense when the raven haired admin came around? He should have known better than to bring up the club.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Mr. Namikaze, I have to leave early today and was told to run it by you. Is that all right?" She was standing again and already felt miles away.

"Oh Nina, I didn't mean anything by that—"

"Obito told me he would be fine with it, but that you had to give me final clearance," Nina told him with a freezing tone.

Minato let himself frown and he stood up as well, moving out from behind his desk so he stood only a few steps away from her.

"You can't just change the subject," Minato pointed out. He wasn't sure why he felt fire in his chest, but it was there and it made him determined beyond a shadow of a doubt to leave off on a good note with Nina. Lately he had been completely unable to do so with his own fiancée, so he wouldn't let that happen with his admin.

"Mr. Namikaze—"

"Minato," he corrected, taking another step closer. He felt as if she were a pit viper about to strike him, but found himself relieved when she didn't move away.

"What?" She blurted with her eyes narrowing.

"Call me, Minato."

Clearly catching her off guard, Nina's lips pursed into a tight line again. "That's hardly appropriate."

"How?" Minato challenged. He put his hands in his pockets and kept his eyes steady on her. She shifted from one foot to the other, and he was suddenly all too aware of her long legs again.

Her mouth opened, waiting for a comeback to come to her no doubt, but she eventually closed it and crossed her arms. The scowl she sent him was fierce, and it was sharper than any shard of broken glass, but he wasn't intimidated. Only slightly amused, as her nose scrunched up with the scowl in a way that was entirely endearing.

"See?" Minato remarked, feeling the corner of his lip curl upwards into a smirk.

"I don't like you," Nina retorted.

"That's not an appropriate thing to say to your boss, now is it?

Nina's glower only intensified and Minato could feel his smirk growing into a grin. He used to banter with Kushina like this back when they were younger. But now they didn't have playful banter. Now they had vicious arguments.

"Mr. Namikaz—"

Nina's voice was cut off by two knocks on the door of his office and the door swinging open to reveal Danzo.

"Minato, we need to—am I interrupting something?"

Danzo narrowed his eye as he took slow, deliberate steps into the center of Minato's office. He took one look at Nina and she was already taking several steps backwards, trying to put some much needed distance between them.

When had she gotten so close?

"Not at all. Nina, this is Danzo Shimura. Danzo, this is Nina Sato. She's our new admin."

Minato stood beside Danzo, and watched as Nina shook the scarred man's hand. The corner of Danzo's lip curled, as if he was disgusted he had to shake a mere admin's hand.

"Are you unaware of the dress code here, Miss Sato?" Danzo asked, raking his gaze down Nina's frame.

If Danzo had done that to any other woman who worked there, she no doubt would have felt so uncomfortable that she would have run out of the office. But Nina, a dancer, stood there and took it like champ, only raising her eyebrow and locking eyes with Minato.

"I don't understand," Nina said.

Minato didn't either, as she always dressed professionally. He wasn't sure that he understood what exactly it was Danzo was trying to get at.

"Your shoes. Complete open toed shoes are not allowed."

Nina blinked and Minato let his eyes shift down to the shoes Nina wore. They were black with straps, and had an extremely high heel. But they didn't look as if they broke the dress code.

"My apologies Mr. Shimura. I'll be sure not to make that mistake again," Nina told Danzo, giving him a smile that was so sweet it was enough to give someone cavities. Danzo only grunted in response and turned to Minato.

"We need to speak in private."

Minato fought back the urge to roll his eyes but nodded and looked at Nina.

"You can leave when you need to," Minato said briefly.

Nina nodded in response and dipped her head as she headed out of his office.

"Who the hell did you bring in as an admin? It doesn't look good to have some girl walking around the office in stripper shoes," Danzo grunted. He sat down in one of the chairs in front of Minato's desk and began to leaf through a folder he held. Minato could feel a sigh coming on, but fought it back.

Danzo was not the person he wanted to be dealing with right now.

"They're just shoes," Minato said under his breath, sitting down as well.

"Mhm. And it certainly doesn't look good for Konoha Enterprises to have the CEO getting too close to his secretary like that!" Danzo snapped again, this time choosing to meet Minato's gaze with his own.

Minato could feel his eyebrows furrow as he frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"You were standing awfully close to her."

Minato only blinked in response. He hadn't thought he was standing particularly close to her? And if he was, he certainly hadn't meant anything by it.

"I'm engaged," Minato deadpanned, already having enough of Danzo and his prying. Danzo scoffed in response, pulling out a paper and placing it on Minato's desk with as much force as a piece of paper could muster.

"And I'm sixteen again."

Minato couldn't hold back the scoff this time and he rolled his eyes as well.

"What do you want, Danzo? Our meeting isn't until four."

Danzo pointed his finger to the paper that sat on Minato's desk, wearing a smug expression.

"The Akatsuki Group. Their lawyer has reached out to me and informed me that this does not have to go to court, but that they would like several reparations for the trade secret infringement."

"I still don't even know how anyone on our team got a hold of what was in the Rinnegan," Minato said, crossing his arms as he did. The Rinnegan was a product that The Akatsuki Group was known for, it being their staple product. They were a newer organization, and when The Rinnegan hit the market, people absolutely ate it up. They had marketed it as an 'alternative medicine', saving the corporation the trouble of having to push the product through the pharmacy industry, and it acted the way a steroid did.

Only it was completely legal.

Consumers had a million different testimonies about how The Rinnegan changed their lives. It supposedly helped them lose weight, build muscle, enhance their vision and hearing, and a plethora of other things. Since Konoha Enterprises didn't have a similar product and since they weren't even in the same market, Minato hadn't worried or cared about what The Akatsuki Group did, and neither had anyone else on the board.

Konoha Enterprises was more concerned with innovation and creating different business processes rather than creating some 'miracle drug'.

So naturally, when the contents of The Rinnegan, a well guarded trade secret, were brought to Minato, he knew he was going to be in for a lawsuit that would shake him to his core.

"That doesn't matter. The point is we have an out and I suggest we take it. We don't want a lawsuit of this caliber on our hands. It looks bad for the company," Danzo said, tapping his finger on that stupid piece of paper.

Minato picked up the paper and let his eyes graze over the contents of it. The 'reparations' that The Akatsuki Group wanted weren't so much reparations, as they were blackmail.

"You think we should pay them 2.7 _billion_ dollars?" Minato all but snapped, his eyes stuck on the incredulous amount that was inked into the paper

"Should this escalate to litigation, we'd be forced to pay that amount anyway, if not more."

"And you think we should completely replace our executive board?" Minato couldn't believe what was on the page, and he wanted to strangle Danzo for even suggesting that working with these people was possible.

"Maybe not the whole board, but a good chunk of it. Obviously our board is in disarray if this debacle happened in the first place."

Minato looked up at Danzo. He had known the man had been trying to get the job of CEO for several years. When Tobirama Senju stepped down, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the interim CEO until Minato had been hired. Danzo had been furious and it was clear he still hadn't gotten over it. And the more Minato thought about it, the more he questioned Danzo's intentions.

"I'm going to need to think this over. We'll meet at four and reconvene then."

Danzo said nothing, but his lip twitched into a scowl as he left the office and slammed the door shut behind him.

If it wasn't so early in the morning, Minato would have resigned himself to vodka for the rest of the day…

* * *

At 4:30 Nina bolted out of the office, grabbing her bag and waving to Obito saying that she would stay late to make up for it. He had only waved his hand and told her it was fine, telling her he would see her tomorrow.

Nina was thankful she worked with someone like him, because after having her first encounter with someone like Danzo, she realized people like Obito were few and far between.

Mangekyo was only a few blocks away, not too far from where Konoha Enterprises was, but she had to change before she got there. Madara had a strict dress code and didn't take to deviations from it too lightly.

Heading down the street and ducking into a coffee shop, Nina made a beeline for the bathroom. Her dress was in her bag and she could only hope that it wasn't too wrinkled by the time she changed into it

But when Nina got to the bathroom door she was dismayed to see it was occupied. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took in a sharp inhale, drumming her fingers against her leg. It wasn't like Madara would know if she was a little late, but she still didn't want that hanging over her head.

The door opened and Nina was ready to rush in but came to a halt when she was greeted with a familiar looking woman with long red hair.

The woman's name escaped her, but Nina knew her face.

It was the yoga instructor from the class she attended with Mei.

"Nina!" The woman said, giving Nina a smile so wide that her cheeks must have hurt.

Nina found herself blinking dumbly, shocked at the fact that the woman remembered her name from a one-hour yoga class a week ago. But then again, she was the only person in the class who had her phone go off in the middle of meditation.

"Oh hi," Nina responded, trying her hardest to remember the woman's name. It was to no avail. "I'm really sorry, but I can't remember your name."

"Kushina," the redhead responded with a gentler smile. "I just asked Mei about you. How are you doing?"

There was a softness to her words that made Nina's heart squeeze. She wasn't sure if someone had ever sounded so concerned about her wellbeing before. The last time was maybe several years ago when she last saw her mother, but since then Nina had surrounded herself with people who were so rough around the edges that unless you steeled yourself, you would get cut if you tried to get too close.

"I'm okay," Nina answered, feeling out of breath. The clock was still hanging over her head in her mind, but she didn't think she had it in her to be rude to this woman with the big smile and caring voice.

"Just okay?" Kushina asked, tilting her head to the side and knitting her eyebrows together.

"Well I'm working two jobs, so I'm a little stressed," Nina said as casually as possible and shrugging her shoulders for extra effect.

"I can see that. Your chakra is all off," Kushina remarked, placing her hands on her hips.

Nina could feel her eyebrow quirking upwards, but fought to keep them down. She remembered Mei mentioning chakra after coming back from one of Kushina's yoga classes.

"Nothing I can't handle," Nina told her, offering her a smile that was too forced to be comfortable. "I don't mean to rush but I really have to get to work."

"No problem," Kushina said, stepping out of the way so Nina could get into the bathroom. "I should actually be going too. I have to go stop by my fiancé's work and drop him off dinner. It actually sounds like you're like him. A bit of a workaholic, you know?"

Nina chuckled and nodded. "Not by choice."

"I'll see you later then? Maybe at one of my classes?" Kushina asked with her eyes glimmering.

"Uh sure," Nina said, rubbing the back of her neck and reaching for her phone in her back pocket. "I'm going to forget if you tell me which dates to come to now. Do you have a work number I can call you at?"

Kushina's face lit up, causing the smile lines on her face to deepen. She took the phone and typed a number in before handing it back to Nina.

"I don't have a work phone but you can call my cell. Give me a call whenever," Kushina said. Her smile never faltered and Nina found herself smiling back without even meaning to.

"Okay awesome. It was nice seeing you again," Nina told her with a small wave. Kushina nodded and said the same before walking out of the coffee shop.

When Nina had to exit the store after changing, the patrons there had given her incredulous looks because of her appearance. Due to the fact that Nina wasn't dancing that night and instead was going to be in the stand-in House Mom, she couldn't get away with wearing street clothes like normal.

Generally speaking, Nina would show up to Mangekyo in vans, jeans, and a crop top. It was easy to change into and out of, and comfortable enough for her to walk home in. But when Nina was the House Mom for the night, she had to dress differently, as she would be seen in the front of club, mingling with the clients for the night, as well as managing the girls.

So that led to Nina donning a skin tight, black dress that had long sleeves, a high collar, and a short hem, that stopped just before the middle of her thighs. She left her strappy black heels on and shook her hair out.

Anyone who looked at her would have been able to guess where she worked, and to be blatantly honest, Nina was just too tired to care.

She got to Mangekyo and unlocked the door, slipping inside.

She put her stuff in the back and ran through the usual duties of checking the bar's cash register, cleaning up the clutter in the back dressing room area, sweeping up the stage, wiping down the pole, and other general housekeeping.

An hour or so must have gone by when the rest of the staff started trickling in. It was the usual group with Mei, Shizune, Bee and Ay, along with several others. It was a good group of people for the night, which meant it would be easy going for Nina.

That was of course until the first client walked in.

His name was Hanzo and he was Nina's regulars. She looked at the clock on the wall behind the bar and saw it was only six-thirty. It was unusual to see Hanzo show up before at least ten, and she could tell by the way he stumbled into the club that was already shitfaced.

"How you doing, Doll?" Nina asked, moving away from the bar and the conversation she had been having with Ay and Bee when she saw her regular stumbling around.

"Katia," Hanzo slurred, already undressing her with his eyes. She could smell the vodka on him that practically poured from his pores and Nina fought back a frown, though she could feel her eyes narrow for a fraction of a second.

"Starting early today?" Nina responded, putting her hand on his shoulder to keep him steady on his feet. Hanzo slurred something unintelligible out, and Nina only guided him over to the bar in response. "Why don't you have a glass of water first and then your first drink will be on the house, yeah?"

"Or you could jus' start the show early," Hanzo responded, slurring even worse than before and towering over Nina, standing too close for comfort.

"I'm not dancing tonight. But don't you worry, there's plenty of other—"

"You don't have to dance. You can just take your clothes off for me now," He said, clamping his hand down on Nina's upper arm.

Her eyes shifted to where Ay was at the bar, and she could see him slowly reaching for the baseball bat that was left under there. Bee went still, but she could see his eyes narrow even from behind his glasses.

"Now you know that isn't how this works," Nina said with a smile, and fluttering her eyelashes to try and diffuse the situation. "Have a seat, we'll get you a drink and then—"

Hanzo's words were a slow growl, sending chills down her spine. "Take off. Your fuckin' clothes."

She wasn't sure what happened next.

Both of Hanzo's hands had clamped down so hard on her upper arms, she knew he would leave bruises. So in response, she placed both her hands on his chest and shoved him back with all the force she could muster.

But without any leverage, it was a poor attempt, and the attempt had only angered him worse than his own drunkenness had.

He did it quick enough that Nina never saw it coming, and before she knew it, he pulled his arm back and his fist flew forward, connecting with her eye, knocking her down onto the floor.

Ay was on him faster than Bee was, and Nina could only hear them all shouting and cursing at each other. She couldn't make out what they were saying though, as her hand already flew up to her eye, holding it against the hot waves of pain.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed but both Ay and Bee came over to her, Bee putting his arms around her and helping her stand.

"You okay?" He asked.

Nina pushed him off, still holding her eye, and headed for the bathroom. She wasn't mad at the two of them, but she was so livid that she was shaking, and she didn't want to take any of that anger out on her friends.

She slammed the bathroom door shut, locked it, and marched over to the sink and mirror above it. Slowly, she removed her hand so she could see the damage.

The whites of her eye were red with several blood vessels there having popped, and an ugly reddish purple bruise was already starting to bloom out from under her eye.

Placing both hands on the sink and leaning down, Nina sucked in a deep breath.

"FUCK."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Leave a review please and thank you (:


	8. Chapter 8

Nina couldn't stop biting down on her lip as she walked over to the desk she shared with Obito. Yesterday when she wore her sunglasses inside it was because she was exhausted. Today it was because she had a huge fucking black eye. When she looked at it that morning, the bruise had turned an ugly shade of dark purple and red, and it had spread from her eye over to her cheekbone. It hurt like a bitch and looked even worse.

The only saving grace was that Madara didn't know yet.

"Another sleepless night?" Obito asked when Nina sat down next to him.

"Yeah, something like that."

"I got you a coffee," Obito said, spinning in his chair and offering her a latte.

"Obito, you're the best," Nina gushed, taking the latte from him and exhaling. She didn't like the drip coffee at work, as she was someone who generally drank espresso drinks such as lattes or Americanos. She never bought them though because five bucks every day added up pretty quickly. But with her throbbing eye and nerves completely fried, she couldn't have been happier to have the specialty coffee.

"No problem," Obito said with a smile.

Nina turned her head away from him, biting down on her lip again as she took off her sunglasses and placed them in her purse. Luckily for her, Obito sat on her right and her bruised eye was the left one, so he wouldn't be able to see it.

She ran her fingers through her hair and tapped her foot. She had tried to put makeup on to cover it up, but the bruise was so dark that the makeup only brought more attention to it.

Nina leaned forward, purposely letting her hair cover the left side of her face as she tapped away on the keyboard, hoping to get away with hiding it for as long as possible.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when someone came to the desk, but when she looked up she saw Shikaku Nara with his hands in his pockets, casually waiting for Obito. His eyes flickered to where Nina sat and he let out a long whistle before tilting his head to the side ever so slightly.

"Get in a bar fight there, Dimples?" He asked.

Nina blinked. " _Dimples?_ "

Shikaku said nothing and only waited for a response, the corner of his mouth quirking into a small smirk. Nina let out a sigh in response. She hated her stupid dimples and wasn't sure how she felt about them being the source of a nickname.

"You should see the other guy," Nina remarked.

Shikaku let himself chuckle this time and the smile reached all the way up to his eyes.

"What are you two talking about?" Obito grumbled, looking away from his computer and craning his neck to the side so he could get a better look at Nina. She turned so she faced him head on, seeing no point in delaying the inevitable any longer.

"What happened!" Obito shouted, his dark eyes doubling in size from behind his glasses. "I didn't even see when you first came in! Are you okay?" Worry lines were evident on Obito's face, wrinkling his forehead and dimpling his chin. Nina only gave him a weak smile. She really hated having people worry about her.

"I'm okay, Obito." She tried offering him a smile but it didn't seem to do much to help ease his worry.

"Yeah but someone hit you," Obito said softly.

Nina could feel her heart break with the way he looked at her.

"I'm sure she gave the creep a run for his money," Shikaku assured.

Nina couldn't have been more grateful for the scarred man than in that moment, as he took Obito's attention off her black eye and redirected it towards something office related. "Do me a favor, Obito. Set up a meeting with me and Kakashi this afternoon. I've got some good news for him."

Obito pouted his lower lip and narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah?"

Shikaku put his index finger to his lips and walked away, plunging his hands back into his pockets. Nina's eyes followed him and thought to herself that she had never quite seen anyone walk with so much swagger before in her life.

"I bet that bastard got a promotion," Obito grumbled, looking between Shikaku's busy schedule and Kakashi's, trying to find a time that worked for the two of them.

"Why would he be having a meeting with Shikaku if he got a promotion? Shouldn't the head of marketing be having that meeting with him?" Nina asked, looking over Obito's shoulder to see how exactly he scheduled the appointment so she would be able to do it herself eventually.

"Not necessarily. Shikaku will probably go over the numbers with him and then Inoichi might stop by and tell him he's been promoted."

Obito slammed his finger into the mouse so hard that Nina actually jumped back at the sound.

"Do _you_ want to be a salesman?" She asked, wondering if that was one of the reasons why Obito didn't like Kakashi.

"Pfft. No." Obito paused and looked back at Nina and his eyebrows knit together. "You've got to tell me about your eye. Admins stick together."

Nina frowned and without even realizing it, started biting down on her lip again.

"Not today, okay?" She said after a long stretch of silence.

It didn't seem to be what Obito wanted to hear, but he nodded anyway, either out of respect for her privacy or because his computer was popping up with alerts once again. Nina watched as he turned back to his screen and ran her fingers through her hair yet again.

She toyed with the idea of telling Obito about Mangekyo. She figured if there was anyone in Konoha Enterprises that wouldn't judge her for her other occupation, it would be Obito. There was something about the dark haired boy with the even darker eyes that was familiar and comforting. She hadn't been able to put her finger on it, but there was something about him that made her feel at home.

The two worked in relative silence until around eleven. Nina was finally able to do some of the scheduling and Obito made her in charge of Choza and Inoichi's schedules. He said eventually he would let her take over Shikaku's schedule too, but that his was a bit more involved, so he wanted her to get some practice before taking over his as well.

But a little after eleven Nina's phone started buzzing. She ignored it the first two times, but by the third time Obito had choked back a laugh and turned to her.

"Do you want to get that?"

Nina huffed and grabbed her phone, excusing herself as she headed down one of the hallways that lead to where the bathrooms were.

"Hello?" She asked without even looking at who was calling her.

Big mistake though, as there was no greeting from the other line. Just a low, angry, " _What_ the _fuck_ happened last night?"

Madara.

Nina cringed and counted to five as she tried to organize her thoughts. She bit down hard enough on her lip to draw blood and she paced back and forth outside of the bathroom.

"Hanzo punched me." She said, deciding to be straight forward.

"Why would Hanzo punch his favorite dancer?" Madara retorted. He didn't necessarily sound angry, just irritated. Nina could deal with him if he was only irritated. It was when he was genuinely angry that she feared for her life.

"He was shitfaced, Madara!" Nina said a little too loudly without even meaning to. She hadn't meant to get so defensive, but it just sorta happened. She then covered her mouth and prayed that no one would choose to use those particular bathrooms for the next few minutes. She just needed to get through this phone call and then she would be able to go back to work and pretend that everything was just fine.

She could hear Madara huff on the other end of the line before he spoke again, "how bad is it?"

Nina clenched her hand into a fist and looked at the ceiling. She knew where this was going and she didn't think she would be able to hold herself together for the rest of the day if she ended up being right.

"It's fine," She said it too quickly and she knew it.

"…It's bad isn't it?"

"No, Madara stop. It's fine. It's not even th—"

"Don't fuck with me, Nina. You're _a lot_ smaller than Hanzo is."

For the first time in years, Nina put her thumb to her mouth and began to chew on the nail there. _Please no._

"It'll be healed up in a couple of days," She tried. It was like her body knew she was lying through her teeth, as a hot wave of pain pulsed beneath the skin of the bruised area. It was all she could do to clench her teeth and keep herself from crying out in pain.

"You know what I'm going to say," Madara started.

Nina thought she was going to throw up.

"You can't dance until it heals."

Her stomach dropped and Nina put her hand to her forehead. Why did her eyes sting as if she was going to cry? She wasn't going to cry over something so stupid. Of course not. Who cared if she couldn't dance for a few nights?

"Please… I need the money," She whispered, her voice cracking in a painful way that made her swallow hard.

She could hear Madara let out a sigh, "I know you do. But you know the rules. No blemishes, Nina. Not at Mangekyo. We've got an image to maintain."

At the end of the day Mangekyo was still a strip club. High end or not, it was still just a place for girls to take their clothes off and shake their asses for a couple hundred bucks. Who cared if she had a black eye? The people who were paying money to see Nina dance weren't even looking at her face for fuck's sake.

But she couldn't say any of that to Madara.

"Madara—"

"Pull yourself together and stop by in a day or two and we can talk. But until your eye heals you can't dance."

The line went dead and the air rushed out of Nina's lungs.

She could feel hot tears slide down her cheeks and she wanted to throw her stupid phone across the room and watch the screen shatter into a million tiny pieces. She would have done it too if she thought it would have helped. But instead she pressed her palms to her eyes to try and stop the tears.

But she forgot about that damned black eye of hers, and the second her palm touched her cheekbone she let out a yelp.

"Nina?"

Trying to pull herself together as fast as humanly possible, Nina wiped her eyes and pushed her hair back with a clear of her throat. She could only hope that by some miracle her eyes wouldn't still be wet and puffy.

The first thing she saw when the blurriness of the tears subsided was yellow. The color of Minato's hair to be exact. And sure enough, when she blinked away the fogginess, the blonde haired, blue eyed CEO of Konoha Enterprises was standing in front of her wearing an expression that could only be described as horrified.

"What happened to you?" Minato asked with his blue eyes widening to the point where all Nina saw was blue, blue, _blue_.

Nina took in a sharp breath, trying to compose herself.

"Let's see… I got punched in the face last night at work, my boss just told me I can't come back and dance until my eye heals, which who knows how long that will take, and I have to pay bills this week and I don't have any money because I just lost my main source of income, and I don't get paid here for another week and a half. That's what happened to me," She snapped.

Her words hung in the empty air. Neither of them said anything, but Minato was giving her _that_ look.

And she wasn't sure why it happened, but the way he looked at her, as if he were _pitying_ her, made some type of levee in the back of her mind break, because before she was able to see it coming, hot tears were stinging the backs of her eyes again and her chest began to shake as a sob ripped its way out of her throat.

Unable to do anything else, Nina just covered her face, completely and utterly embarrassed to be having a breakdown in the middle of the work day, and sank down to the floor, rocking back on her heels.

She had done some embarrassing (and even pathetic) things before in her life, but having a mental breakdown in front of the CEO of Konoha Enterprises very may as well have been the worst one to date.

She felt a hand come to rest in the small space between her shoulders, and through the thin fabric of her shirt she could feel the warmth there.

"How about you come with me?" Minato's voice was soft and soothing, and she could feel his breath against her ear as he continued, "I need you to just keep it together until we get to my office, okay?"

She felt his other hand rest on her upper arm, the same place where Hanzo had bruised her from last night. She didn't cringe at the pain though, she only let Minato slowly pull her up. She sniffled and rubbed away a tear that had started to fall from her eye.

"You ready?" Minato asked, releasing her arm but keeping one hand steady on her back.

"Yeah," Nina said, clearing her throat once again and holding her chin up.

Minato pulled out his phone as they walked towards his office, keeping his hand on her back still. She had never realized how good it felt to have someone act as an anchor for her before. From the time Nina was ten she had to be her own anchor, and she had never even wanted someone else to be one for her, but she was quickly realizing that in situations like these, it was nice to have someone else to help carry the burden.

The walk to Minato's office felt like it was miles away, but if anyone noticed anything odd they didn't comment on it. Maybe it was because he looked casual as he scrolled through his phone, as if he was going over his schedule with her. That's probably what anyone looking at them thought. They didn't need to know that Nina was in the middle of a mental breakdown because she wouldn't be able to strip for a few nights…

When they got to Minato's office, he shut the door and took his hand off her back and headed over to his desk. Nina took slow steps to where the extra chairs were and hesitantly sat down, focusing on her breathing to keep anymore sobs at bay. She may have been away from prying eyes in Minato's office, but she didn't want to start sobbing again.

She had expected him to take a seat at his desk and maybe focus his attention on his computer while she tried to pull herself together, but he instead grabbed a box of tissues and sat in the chair adjacent to hers. He shifted in it so he could face her directly and rested his elbows on his knees as he offered her the tissues.

He wasn't looking at her like she was a broken thing anymore. He only gave her an encouraging smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. But it still made her stomach flutter all the same.

"Thank you," she said as quietly as she could, looking down to avoid his eyes. How someone could have eyes that were so _blue_ was still a mystery to Nina, but all she knew was that she couldn't look at them for very long.

"Now that you're feeling a little better, can you tell me again what happened to your eye?"

Nina looked down at the tissue her fingers clenched onto and raised it to her eye, wiping away the tears that had fallen. When she pulled it away, the white tissue had been streaked with black. She let out a sigh and continued wiping her eyes until the black stopped coating the tissues. She already looked like a raccoon thanks to her black eye. The last thing she needed was streaky mascara to add to the problem.

"I already told you," Nina started, her voice still too soft. She couldn't remember the last time she had spoken to _anyone_ with such vulnerability in her tone. She distracted herself by looking at her slim fingers that tightened and loosened methodically around the blackened tissue. "One of my regulars came in and he was wasted—completely gone—and he started yelling at me to take off my clothes. But the problem was that I wasn't even dancing that night. I was doing my boss a favor by being the House Mom, and one thing led to another, and before anyone knew what happened, he punched me and I was on the ground."

She wondered what Hanzo's face looked like when Ay was on him in a fraction of a millisecond, and wondered if Bee had thrown him out hard enough to break a rib.

Minato was silent.

So silent that she could have heard a pin drop or even Obito on the phone on the other side of the office. She dared to look up at Minato and saw that he had folded his hands together and was squeezing them so tightly that his knuckles were turning a stark white.

She shifted her attention away from his hands and to his face. He wasn't looking at her but at the floor instead, and she could see the veins restrain themselves in his neck. She hesitantly put her thumb to her mouth and chewed on the nail there once again.

"Mr. Namikaz—"

"You have to quit."

His blue eyes were on her in a second, and she froze the moment just before she bit through her thumb nail entirely.

"What?" She repeated, so softly that she wasn't sure if she even heard it herself.

"You can't work there anymore. You come in here looking like a zombie every day because you're not sleeping, and then now you tell me that you're getting hit at your job? You can't keep doing this to yourself. You have to quit."

His voice left no room for argument and Nina found herself at a loss for words. She only stared at him, choosing to meet his painfully blue eyes head on.

It was thoughtful that he cared enough about her wellbeing to try and console her, but now she felt a fire in her stomach. Because who was he to tell her what she had to do? Who was he to tell her to quit her job?

"No," Nina snapped.

Minato must have been expecting a reaction, _any_ reaction other than the one she gave him, because his blue eyes widened for a split second and he straightened up, unlacing his hands in the process.

"Nina, I'm being serious."

"And so am I. It's nice that you care and all, but absolutely not. I've been working at Mangekyo since I was sixteen and I'm not about to quit now," Nina retorted with her brown eyes narrowing.

Minato leaned forward, close enough so that she could smell his cologne. She subconsciously leaned back and was suddenly all too aware of her heart thumping hard against her chest.

"You were _assaulted_ ," Minato said slowly, keeping his eyes on hers, locking them into a gaze.

Nina could feel her lips tug downward and she straightened up, this time making Minato lean backward. "It wouldn't be the first time. I'm not a little girl and I can handle myself believe it or n—why are you looking at me like that?" Nina had been in the middle of preparing a long monologue about how independent she was and how she didn't need anyone to look after her, but that was before Minato was looking at her like _that_.

" _Wouldn't be the first time?_ " He all but yelled, choosing to stand up and pace in front of the desk. Nina blinked dumbly and let out a groan. In her head it sounded like a good point to bring up. Just something to remind him how strong she was, but clearly it had had the opposite effect, as Minato Namikaze was now on a full blown freaking rampage.

"All right calm down," Nina said with a huff of exasperation. "You're really blowing this whole thing out of proportion." She fought back an eye roll. This was one of the thousands of reasons why she never bothered with relationships. Men were too easily riled up and you mentioned being punched one time and they totally lost their shit.

Minato paused and looked at her, running his hand over his forehead. "How many times has this happened exactly?"

Her mouth went dry and Nina fought to swallow it. This had _not_ been how she wanted the conversation to go. Not at all.

She shifted in the chair and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, trying to find something to look at that wasn't tall, blonde, and fuming.

"I don't know. Only one other time in the club. The rest happened when I was younger and didn't know how to walk home right. People are scummy and they see a girl walking home at night and they think they can do whatever they want. It was my own fault. I didn't know you had to walk with your key between your knuckles—stop looking at me like that goddamnit!" Nina snapped, slamming her hand down on the arm rest of the chair.

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Minato snapped back, throwing out his arm and gesturing to where she sat. "I mean Jesus Christ, Nina. It's not normal to be assaulted!"

Nina scoffed and stood up, tossing the box of tissues at him. He caught it without even flinching. Under different circumstances she might have even been impressed.

"We all can't live in uptown like you probably do!"

"Are you _trying_ to give me an aneurysm? Because if you are you are doing a _fantastic_ job."

Nina gaped at him and slowly crossed her arms. She wanted to look him dead in the eye and tell him to go fuck himself, but she couldn't do that because 1. He wasn't Madara. She didn't have that type of relationship with Minato, one where she could say something like that and still get away with a slap on the wrist. And 2. Since Danzo had given Nina a hard time about her shoes yesterday, she had gone out of her way to find a pair of flats. And come to find out that when she wore flats, she only reached his chest.

She didn't think there anything more humiliating than having to look _up_ at someone to yell at them.

"You know what? I'm done with this conversation."

Nina turned on her heel to walk out of his office, but when she got halfway to the door she felt a strong hand on her shoulder, bringing her to a halt. Nina closed her eyes and counted to five. She had to learn how to control her temper if she was ever going to last more than two weeks at Konoha Enterprises.

"Nina stop," Minato said, his voice torn somewhere between frustrated and concerned.

"Oh my freaking…" Nina huffed and squeezed her eyes shut. She would have killed for a stress ball in that moment. "You need to learn to mind your own business. I mean seriously." She said, unable to hold back her biting remarks any longer.

Minato tilted his head to the side ever so slightly and narrowed his eyes, "You were sobbing in the hallway. What was I supposed to do?"

Nina felt her eye twitch and felt the overwhelming urge to smack him. Well if there was one good thing that came out of their encounter, it was the fact that she was no longer on the verge of having a mental breakdown. Now she just wanted to slap her boss across his face.

"Whatever… Thank you," She muttered, letting her eyes drift down to the floor. "I would appreciate it if you kept this between us."

Minato nodded and brushed his bangs back with an impatient gesture.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," He muttered. This time he was the one letting his eyes drift downwards and Nina only raised her eyebrow. What did he have to feel embarrassed about? It's not like _she_ found _him_ crying in the hallway after all.

"No, it's all right. At least I'm not crying anymore," Nina said under her breath. Minato only laughed quietly in spite of himself.

"Just… Do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Try to not get yourself hurt. Please… Because if you come in here with another black eye I'm going to go straight down to Mangekyo to yell at your boss."

Nina tried to imagine how a fight between Madara and Minato would go. Her money would be on Madara, obviously. How many men had Madara terrified into complete submission with a mere look? Then again, she didn't know what Minato was capable of. Still though… Madara was totally out of his league.

She felt warm laughter bubble up in her throat as she headed towards the door, a giggle escaping her mouth as she did before saying, "Minato, you wouldn't last a second against him."

As the door closed she swore she heard him scoff, the disgruntled little noise he made only made her giggle even more.

It wasn't until she was almost back to her desk that she realized she had called him Minato, and not Mr. Namikaze.

* * *

Obito tapped his fingers on the desk, looking at the clock on his computer. Nina had been gone a long time, almost a half hour and he was getting worried. Sure, they had a lot of work they had to do, but that wasn't what bothered him. With that black eye he had a feeling the person calling her was probably her boyfriend or something. And he had a feeling that if it was her boyfriend, he was the one who hit her.

He played with the idea of getting Nina to give him the guy's name and looking him up so he could do something about it.

What kind of creep punched a girl anyway? Especially one as small as Nina?

If someone had punched Rin and she came in with a black eye, he would lose his shit and go on a rampage until he found the culprit.

He might even bring his uncle into it if she was hurt bad enough. God knows the man could probably end someone's life with one look.

"Hey, sorry about that."

Obito looked over to see Nina sitting back down. Her warm brown eyes were puffy and she sniffled as she started typing on her computer and looking over Choza and Inoichi's schedules.

She had been crying.

Obito felt his stomach twist as a sense of protectiveness came over him. It wasn't all that different from the protectiveness he felt towards Kushina. Kushina had been like a big sister to him. Back when she came in every day to have lunch with Minato, she would always take the time to talk to him and see how he was doing. Then she would lecture him a little bit and be on her way after ruffling his hair.

Nina, despite her stark differences from Kushina, also felt like an older sister. Only where Kushina was more open with her affections, Nina had a wall up so high that he wondered if anyone would ever be able to break it down.

Without even giving it a second thought, Obito reached out and touched Nina's shoulder. He could feel her tense up and watched her hands freeze.

"Hey, I got your back. Okay?"

A moment passed. Then another. And another.

Obito went to remove his hand, but was stopped by Nina covering his with her own.

Her hand was so much smaller than his own but twice as rough for some reason.

Looking over her shoulder she gave a tight smile that somehow still managed to reach her bloodshot eyes, crinkling the skin at the corners.

"Okay."

* * *

Nina pulled out her phone as she walked through the streets of the city, trying to find the gym that she and Mei had gone to for that yoga class. Nina's eyes kept darting back to her phone, following the directions from her fellow dancer.

Third and Kiri Street.

Nina was on Third, but she couldn't figure out which direction Kiri Street was in. The gym had been in the nicer part of the city, being on the border of Central and Uptown, and Nina was unfamiliar with it. She lived right on the edge of the downtown area. And she found that she was never able to maneuver through the nicer parts of the city no matter how hard she tried.

Already getting frustrated, she asked the first person that walked by her for help.

"Excuse me," she tried, getting the attention of a man who had been looking at his phone when he passed her.

He paused and looked up from his phone to meet Nina's eyes.

"Yes?"

His dark eyes narrowed when they landed on Nina's black eye and she inwardly cringed. Judgmental looks didn't necessarily bother her, but what did bother her was the way people looked at her with her black eye, as if they felt sorry for her.

"You know where Kiri Street is? I'm not from this part of the city," She asked quickly, trying to divert the man's attention from her bruised face.

He looked at his watch before answering her, "I'm actually headed that way myself if you wanted to walk with me."

Nina blinked. Had she heard him correctly?

If she had asked that same question Downtown, they would have either completely ignored her or would have told her to use a map. But this guy was offering to show her?

"Uh… Yeah. That would be great."

He turned on his heel and started walking ahead, pausing only to make sure she was following him. She struggled to keep pace with him, as his legs were much longer than her own, which was a feat she didn't think was possible. Growing up she had been so lanky with her long legs, but she had nothing on this guy.

"Thanks for the help," She told him, hoping the whole walk wouldn't be in awkward silence. He looked at her through the corner of his dark eyes and nodded.

"Sure thing."

"I'm Nina," She told him, unsure of what else to say She just would have said anything to avoid an awkward silence.

"Fugaku," He responded with the corner of his lip quirking upwards, so slightly that she hardly even noticed it.

"Well Fugaku, you are a life saver. Because I would have gone in the opposite direction," Nina admitted, twisting the rings on her slim fingers.

She could hear a low rumble from Fugaku and wasn't sure whether to be relieved or embarrassed that he was chuckling at her.

"What part of the city are you from?" He asked, looking to meet her eyes.

"Downtown. Right in The Valley actually."

That got Fugaku's attention, as he slowed his pace to actually look directly at her, rather than through the corner of his eye.

"So you're from the badlands then?" Fugaku said with a wicked smirk sneaking onto his face. Nina could feel her mouth forming a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Something like that."

"I may not live in The Valley, but I live over in Naka. So not much better," Fugaku explained.

Madara had been from the Naka area, and Nina would go far enough to say that Naka was worse than The Valley. But Fugaku, despite the harsh lines on his face, seemed nice enough for someone from that area.

"So you get my dilemma then with getting lost in this part of the city," Nina said, giving him an easy smile that felt as natural as breathing.

"Absolutely," Fugaku agreed. "Everyone walks around here with a stick up their ass."

Nina stifled a laugh, having had that same thought only a few weeks ago.

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

Fugaku smirked at her and they walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. After spending the bulk of her time at Konoha Enterprises, working with people who wore suits that cost probably as much as her rent, talking to someone like Fugaku, someone that came from _her_ part of the city, and someone who seemed down to earth, was almost painfully refreshing.

"Well here we are," Fugaku said, gesturing at the street sign that said Kiri.

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it," Nina said back, offering her hand out to Fugaku. He looked at it for a brief moment before giving it a firm grasp, pumping it twice, and then releasing it.

He nodded and then pocketed both of his hands.

"Do you work in the area?" He asked.

Nina nodded, "I do. What about yourself?"

"So do I."

Nina gave him a smile and nodded a second time as she headed over to the gym, looking over her shoulder saying, "maybe I'll see you around then?"

He paused, his eyes widening slightly, but then his expression relaxed and he nodded and waved once as he continued down the street.

Letting out a relaxed sigh, Nina turned around and looked at the gym. The hours were painted on the front of the door and she could see the inside where the building was starting to fill up with people just getting off from work.

She opened the door and slipped inside, heading for the front desk.

The guy at the front gave her a confused look, blatantly staring at her awful bruise with narrowed eyes. Nina glowered at him and asked for a copy of the class schedule. He had just slid it over to her when she saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye.

Turning her head, Nina saw Kushina exiting the back classroom, slinging her yoga mat over her shoulder.

Disappointment began coiling in Nina's gut at the realization that she had missed the class.

 _So much for that._ She thought to herself, thanking the worker for the class list and handing it back to him.

"Nina?"

Nina didn't even have to turn around to know it was Kushina. She turned on her heel and looked at the yoga instructor, already bracing herself for a comment about the black eye.

"Hey, Kushina. I missed the class huh?"

This time when she ran into Kushina, a smile did not stretch across her face. But rather Kushina only stared at her in silence as she took in Nina's bruised and battered face. She took a few steps closer and her forehead wrinkled as her brows rose.

" _What happened?_ "

"Heh," Nina looked around and cleared her throat. Maybe going there had been a bad idea. She should have gone straight home to catch up on her sleep. "It's a long story that I really don't want to talk about."

"Are you okay?" Kushina asked, though she didn't look any less concerned.

"Oh I'm fine. Looks worse than it feels," Nina tried. If she was being totally honest, it actually hurt worse than it looked, but over her dead body would she admit that out loud. "I actually was hoping I would get to catch the tail end of one of your classes, but it looks like I'm too late."

Kushina frowned and put her hand on her hip before looking over her shoulder at the back room.

"Well my class ended, but I usually go for tea afterwards. Would you like to come with? You look like you could use a friend to talk to."

Nina chewed on her lower lip. She wanted to go with Kushina, as there was something terribly comforting about the red haired woman, but the more Nina thought about it, the more she feared she would have another breakdown if she talked to Kushina in the state she was in right now. The encounter with Hanzo and phone call with Madara had left Nina more frazzled than she originally realized.

"I actually think I'm going to pass. But um, I'll try my hardest to come to your class this weekend."

Kushina's bright smile almost put Nina's nerves at ease. Almost.

"Sounds great."

Nina nodded, left the gym, and headed for a bus stop, ready to go home and sleep for the next fourteen hours.

* * *

Madara hadn't been at Mangekyo for very long when Bee was approaching him, saying that there was a man who had demanded to see him at the bar.

In any other situation, Madara simply would have told the man to fuck off, but when he asked Bee what the man looked like, Madara simply withheld a groan and headed out to the front of the club.

He stared Bee down as he accompanied him to the bar, wondering what the point of having him as a bouncer was if he couldn't even protect Nina from getting punched in the face for fuck's sake.

The revenues for the next few weeks were going to tank without her there, and he was having a hard time accepting that.

Madara's stare down was cut short though when he saw the man at the bar, casually sucking down sake.

"Danzo, what the hell are you doing here?" Madara snapped, pulling up a stool beside the bandaged man.

"I just wanted to check in with you. Have you given any thought to my proposition?"

Madara narrowed his black eyes and scowled at Danzo. The coward didn't even have the nerve to look at him.

"No. I haven't."

Danzo actually 'tsked' him, and in that moment Madara found himself calculating what it would cost to pay his staff to keep quiet if he choked the man to death where he sat.

"More's the pity. But I thought for certain that you would jump at the chance to get back at Hashirama."

Madara clenched his jaw tight enough to grind his teeth to dust.

"I want nothing to do with your hostile takeover. I can handle Hashirama on my own."

"Can you though?" Danzo replied quickly, daring one glance at Madara. "Because if you could actually handle Hashirama, then _you_ would be on the Board of Directors for the company that you both founded, rather than just him."

Madara's hand clenched into a fist. It had been years and Konoha Enterprises was still a sore subject.

"You insolent little—"

"Think it over, Madara. I would hate for something to happen to this… Cesspool of yours." Danzo replied. He stood up, finishing the sake, and began to head for the door.

But he had pushed it too far, as Madara stood up and planted his arm on the bar, blocking Danzo's path.

He towered over the bandaged man, and wore an expression twice as deadly as Danzo could have dreamed of. It would have been easy to snap the man's neck. To bring up Hashirama was one thing, and then to bring up Konoha Enterprises was something else as well, but to insult Mangekyo was something entirely different. Strip club or not, Madara had built a thriving business and he was proud of it, though he would never say it out loud.

"You going to attack me, Madara?" Danzo asked. Despite only one eye being visible, he still managed to look bored somehow.

Madara kept his mouth sewn shut, trying to willfully force Danzo to drop dead.

It didn't work though, and he eventually sidestepped Madara, heading for the front door. He stopped with his hand on the bars though and gestured to his phone, silently informing him that he would be in contact.

When Danzo left, Madara turned to Bee.

"The next time you see him come in here, you have my permission to smash his skull in with a baseball bat."

* * *

Just some quick references for those of you who missed them!

The Valley = Valley of the End

Naka = Naka Shrine

I love stupid little references lmao


	9. Chapter 9

Minato jolted awake at the sound of his phone's alarm going off early morning. He blinked at the light at that had started to pour in from the windows of the living room of his condo, and silenced the horrible ringing.

He ran a hand over his face and tried to calm his pulse that had started to go crazy from being woken up out of a dead sleep.

Groaning, he reclined back into the couch, feeling knots in his back. He had been sleeping on the couch on and off for the past few months and he was starting to get really sick of it. But when he tried to sleep in the bed with Kushina, she ended up kicking him all night.

Basically, he was screwed either way.

Minato let out a sigh and pulled himself up, stretching until his back made a satisfying pop. Afterwards he took sluggish steps to the bathroom, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes as he did.

Minato slipped into his bedroom, almost jealous at the fact it was still dark in there since the sunlight had already started to trickle into the living room when he woke up, and headed for the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. He could see Kushina stir in the bed and turnover on her side with a grunt when he came in. He rolled his eyes and thought to himself that he may have let her kick him out of their bed, but that he would refuse to resort to using the guest bathroom. It was _his_ house after all that he paid for.

He shut the door of the bathroom, peeled his clothes off, and turned the water on in his walk in shower, not even bothering to wait for the water to heat up before he stood under the stream. It was cold at first, knocking the breath from his lungs, but Minato didn't move. He only ducked his head and waited until it was scalding hot, turning his skin red.

Kushina had come home late last night, not getting in until eleven. He had stayed up and waited for her, and when he confronted her about where she was, she started yelling at him, saying it was none of his business.

He had told her that it was, and that he knew she wouldn't like it if he came home late one night without an explanation. For some reason that set her off too, and before he knew what had happened, she had shoved him out of the bedroom and slammed the door in his face.

His head dropped and he put his hand on the wall of the shower, feeling the water torch his skin. From the minute he accepted the position of CEO their relationship had taken a sour turn, and no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't fix it. He couldn't get them back on track and he couldn't get their relationship to where it used to be.

And it sucked being the only one left fighting for it.

Shaking his head to get out of his own thoughts, Minato quickly showered. He didn't want to be stuck thinking for too long about the troubles they had been having, so distracting himself with getting ready was the next best option.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he opened the door of the bathroom and headed for the closet to grab his dress pants and dress shirt for the day.

"Turn off the light," Kushina groaned from the main part of the bedroom.

Minato stared at his clothes, dumbfounded. She was seriously going to have the nerve to complain about the light coming from the bathroom of all things?

He stopped what he was doing, leaving his clothes untouched to head into the main part of the bedroom, and stood by his side of the bed with his arms crossed, staring at Kushina's frame.

"Seriously?"

He watched as she rolled over, blinking hard against the trickling yellow light of the bathroom and sent him a glare. When he was younger those scowls used to frighten him, but the older he got, the more they just irritated him.

"What?" She asked, burying her face in the pillow.

He noticed that she was wearing one of his shirts and wasn't sure why that bothered him. Kushina always slept in his t-shirts, and had since they were in high school. But the fact that she had the nerve to wear _his_ clothes after kicking him out of _his_ bed was enough to make him want to put his fist through the wall.

"You kick me out last night and now you want to bitch at me because of the light?" He could hear her scoff even though her face was in the pillow, and he could feel blood rush to his chest in a fit of anger. "I have the same routine every morning, and have for the past two years, and you're mad because the light is coming into the room for what? The whole two minutes it'll take me to grab my clothes?"

"I'm trying to sleep, you know!" She snarled, sitting up and chucking her pillow at him.

Minato easily side stepped it, thankful it was only a pillow and not something that could cause any actual damage. She had been known to throw glasses and other dishware.

"So that's it then? You get to give me shit and I just have to shut up and take it because you're trying to sleep?" He deadpanned, unsure of where his frustration was coming from. He figured that it must have always been there, but he had always been good at showing restraint. But for whatever reason, he was unable to keep his temper in check this time.

"I'm not going to sit here and fight with you when I'm not even awake and when you're not even dressed!"

It took every ounce of Minato's willpower to not completely blow up on her. Instead, all he did was walk back to the closet, grab his clothes, and take refuge in the bathroom.

He splashed cold water on his face from the sink and held back the burning desire to break something.

How the hell had he managed to become the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar corporation but couldn't even hold his future wife accountable for her actions?

It wasn't that he didn't try, because he absolutely did. But Kushina was just so _difficult_.

He shook his head and took the towel off, slipping into his work clothes. He went through his normal routine of brushing his teeth, putting on deodorant and cologne, and fixing his hair. He moved as slowly as humanly possible, not wanting to go out there and face his miserable fiancée.

But eventually he couldn't delay it any longer and had to out there or else he would be late for work. He was already running behind schedule as it was 8:35 and it took him almost a half hour to get to the office because of the city traffic.

Kushina was laying in the middle of bed, sprawled out among the pillows on her phone when he came out of the bathroom. She didn't even look at him, just scrolled through whatever she was looking at and didn't so much as say a single word to him.

Swallowing his pride and choosing to be the bigger person, Minato broke the silence first.

"You coming tonight?"

"I think I'm going to pass," she said with a yawn and stretching her arms high over her head.

Minato could feel his mouth twisting into a frown, though he hadn't been expecting any other response. He crossed his arms and waited for her to look at him, but she never did. Once again he was forced to be the bigger person.

"I think it would be really nice if you came. It's been so long since you've seen Kakashi or even Obito. I know he's been wondering about you," Minato tried, knowing that Kushina had quite the soft spot for his dark haired, overly excited, admin.

"Maybe another time."

Minato could feel that familiar anger flushing in his chest. The least she could do was look at him.

"Don't you want to be there to celebrate? Kakashi's worked really hard for this, Kushina." While Kushina had never been as close with Kakashi as she had been with Obito, she still cared about him nonetheless. If she didn't want to be there for Minato himself, then maybe she would want to be there for Kakashi or Obito.

"Stop guilt tripping me. It's not going to work, you know."

Minato rubbed his eyes. Why did he have to be engaged to the most difficult woman on the face of the planet?

"I'm not trying to guilt trip you. I'm trying to persuade you into coming out tonight to celebrate with people who you care about, and people who care about you. But it seems whatever sneaking around you've been up to is a better way to spend your time."

That did it.

Kushina whipped her head in his direction so fast Minato felt a sympathy pain in his neck. But that didn't last long as she was already ready to rip his head off, standing up and stalking over to him.

"I don't know who you think you're talking to, Minato but you need to—"

" _You!_ I'm talking to _you!_ My fiancée! The woman I asked to marry me! The woman I've loved since I was thirteen! _That's_ who I think I'm talking to! Why do you have to be like this? Why is it so hard for you to comprehend that I actually want to spend time with you?"

Kushina only gaped at him, like she couldn't believe or understand where his words were coming from. But only an idiot would try to deny the way their relationship had taken a downward spiral over the past several months.

"I live with you! I see you every day!" Kushina shouted, throwing her hands up in his face.

Minato shook his head. He was so tired of fighting. Just downright exhausted. When he proposed he had envisioned a life full of bliss and had thought about how amazing it would be to finally call Kushina Uzumaki something other than his long time girlfriend. He had thought of the day she would take his last name and maybe have kids one day.

But those thoughts seemed more and more like a waste of time with each passing day. Either she was jumping down his throat or he was resigning himself to silence. It was just too much to handle anymore and he was just so… So tired…

"Do you even want to marry me anymore?" Minato asked without giving it a second thought.

His words hung in the air, and they were equal parts heavy and stifling. She was silent and her dark blue eyes settled on his light ones. Neither of spoke or even took a breath for that matter, and Kushina shook her head with a scoff.

"I can't believe you would even ask that," She hissed through her teeth. Minato clenched his jaw. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to hear how she would answer his question. "I would never throw eleven years out the window just because you've changed," she tacked on, heading out of the bedroom.

Minato stared at the space where she stood but couldn't find the strength to follow her. She was probably going into the kitchen to make tea. It was her go to when she knew she needed to calm down, and he didn't want to interrupt her this time.

He felt bile rise in his throat. How she had managed to answer his question all without actually answering it was a mystery. She never said whether or not she wanted to get married, just that she wouldn't give up on their relationship. But that hadn't been what bothered him. What bothered him was the fact she said he had changed.

To Minato, he was still the same. He was strong willed, careful, and honest. None of those things had ever changed even once in his life. So for Kushina to say he had changed made his head spin.

He wasn't the one who had changed. She had.

And it was tearing their relationship apart.

* * *

"I can't believe that jerk got a promotion. He hasn't even been here a year! How come all Kakashi has to do is show up and all of the sudden everyone is kissing the ground he walks on? It's bullshit!" Obito all but yelled, throwing his arms up in the air and swiveling in the computer chair. Nina covered her mouth to hold back a laugh, just in time too, as Kakashi was walking passed their desk.

"No congratulations, Obito?"

Obito crossed his arms and looked away from Kakashi, muttering a 'congratulations' under his breath so quietly that Nina barely even heard it. She looked away from Obito and gave Kakashi a smile.

"Congrats, Kakashi. It sounds like you've really earned it." She offered. Kakashi blinked and rubbed the back of his head.

"Thanks."

He continued on his way and Obito gaped at Nina, his mouth hanging open and eyes boring into the back of her skull. She turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Don't be nice to him!"

"Why not?" Nina knew that Obito and Kakashi didn't get along particularly well, but she saw no harm in congratulating him on a promotion. Obito would have wanted a congrats had it been the other way around.

"Because!" Obito shouted, puffing his chest out.

Nina shook her head, still wearing a smile when Shikaku joined them at the desk, leaning on his elbows and letting his gaze linger on where Nina sat.

"Dimples," Shikaku said with a nod.

"You know, I don't think I ever gave you permission to call me that," Nina remarked, leaning on her hand. Shikaku chuckled but didn't give her the courtesy of a response.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Um. What?" She deadpanned. She raised her eyebrow at him, hoping he wasn't coming on to her or anything. She really hoped she was wrong, as she swore he was either engaged or married.

As if sensing where her thoughts were going, Shikaku continued, "We're all going out for Kakashi's promotion. I think you should come."

Nina blinked and was silent for one moment. And then another. And another.

"Oh no I couldn't. I really should be saving my money," She deflected, trying to give Shikaku a smile that she knew couldn't possibly reach her eyes.

"Well good because it's all going on our CFO's card, so you shouldn't have for pay for a thing," Shikaku said, looking at her with one eyebrow quirked upwards. She then felt Obito nudge her in the ribs, and she looked over shooting a frown at him.

"If I have to go to this then so do you!"

"Then it's settled. We'll see you tonight," Shikaku said with a nod, walking towards his office. Nina looked at Obito, about to ask him why she had to go, but he was already avoiding her and standing up with a stretch as he walked out from behind the desk.

"Where are you going?" She asked with a frown.

"Bathroom. I had too much coffee," Obito remarked, wearing a sheepish grin.

Rolling her eyes and wading through emails, Nina went back to work. She liked the mornings most of all, as she got to interact with the most people. In order for anyone to get to their office or cubicle, they had to walk by the reception desk. And since Nina came from the service industry, she liked being able to interact with the other workers. Sure, she had Obito, but he was pretty quiet for most of the day since he was always so busy.

The phone started ringing and Nina jumped at the sound, looking around for Obito. She hated answering the phone, as she still barely even knew how to put someone on hold, but without the other admin, she had no choice but to pick it up herself.

"Konoha Enterprises, how may I help you?"

"Nina?" The voice on the other line said, their tone rising in confusion. Nina could feel her face heat up in embarrassment, thinking that she should have just let the phone ring.

"Um. Yes?"

"Oh sorry. I'm just used to hearing Obito. It's Minato," the other line said. Nina should have guessed it. Minato's voice was hard for her to miss, and it never failed to fluster her for whatever reason.

"Good Morning Mr. Namikaze," Nina said, looking at the time on her computer. It was 9:45 and he was almost an hour late. "Is everything okay? It's getting a little late."

She could hear him sigh on the other line and imagined him rubbing his forehead and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can you do me a favor and tell Obito to cancel all of my morning appointments?" He sounded just downright exhausted and Nina could feel her eyebrows knitting together in worry.

"Of course," Nina assured.

"Thanks," She could hear him sigh again. Whatever it was that was making him late, it was clearly taking its toll on him.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Namikaze?"

"You could call me Minato," He said back, and Nina swore she could hear him smiling through his words. She could feel a smile of her own fighting its way onto her lips, but she held it back and bit down on the inside of her mouth to keep it at bay.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" She said back.

"You called me Minato the other day," He pointed out, referring to when he had found her crying after her phone call with Madara. She hadn't meant to refer to him by first name. It just slipped.

"An accident," She deflected.

"A happy accident," He said back, probably way too satisfied with his own witty response. She let out a sigh and chuckled softly under her breath.

"Anything else I can do for you, _Mr. Namikaze_?" She said back, over enunciating his name.

"One of these days I'll get you to call me by my first name," He told her, and a low rumble escaped his throat as he laughed under his breath. Nina bit down on her lip. She felt strangely happy that she had been able to lighten his mood. And the image of him smiling in the back of her head made her chest feel warm. They were silent for some time, and Nina leaned into her palm.

"Will you be in soon?" She finally asked when she could see Obito making his way over to where she sat.

"In a few minutes," He told her.

"We'll see you then," She said before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Obito asked, his dark eyes narrowing as he inspected her closely.

"Mr. Namikaze. He asked to have all of his morning appointments canceled."

Obito raised an eyebrow but sat down and pulled up their boss's schedule on the computer. Minato's day was packed, and Nina could now see why he wanted to cancel all of his morning meetings. If she had been having a hard start to her day as he clearly had, she doubted she would be able to deal with so many people.

"Danzo's going to be pissed," Obito muttered, snickering into his hand as he did.

Nina thought of the bandaged man and the way he had given her a hard time about her shoes. She found herself glad at the thought of him being irritated. She then went back to her work, managing Choza's schedule for the day.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but after a little while Minato came in. His clothes were pressed as always, and he wore a suit that was tailored to his body. Only today he lacked his jacket and only had his dress shirt on. The sleeves were also already rolled to his elbows, which was something he generally did later on in the day, and there were circles under his eyes.

"Didn't sleep last night?" Obito asked with a frown.

Minato's blue eyes flickered to the two admins and he shrugged once, eliciting a pop from his shoulder. Nina and Obito exchanged a look.

"Ouch," Obito muttered.

Minato looked at him and rubbed the side of his neck, "I've got a bad back."

"You're not even thirty," Obito pointed out.

"I'm not even twenty-five," Minato said, rolling out his shoulder. Nina's eyes settled on him and she rested her chin on her hand.

"How old _are_ you?" She asked. His blue eyes met hers and suddenly she could feel her breath getting caught in her throat. How any woman could talk to someone with eyes that were so painfully _blue_ , she would never know.

"Twenty-four," Minato told her, the corner of his lip quirking upwards.

 _Youngest CEO in Konoha Enterprises history_ , Nina thought to herself. He kept his eyes on her, and it wasn't until Obito cleared his throat did he look away.

"Are you guys coming tonight?" Obito asked, giving Minato a hopeful look that had his dark eyes twinkling from behind his glasses.

Nina figured he must have been referring to Minato and his fiancée, and a wave of guilt washed over her. She wasn't sure where it came from or even why, but it was there, unmistakable. The thought of meeting the woman was enough to make her want to throw up.

Minato cleared his throat, " _I'll_ be there."

And with that, he walked to his office. Nina flinched at his words, knowing full well what the meaning behind them was.

Obito's eyebrows knit together in worry and he let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?" Nina asked.

"I don't know. Things just don't seem right," Obito said, biting on his bottom lip.

Nina thought of Minato's fiancée, a woman she had never met or even knew the name of, and felt another pang of guilt. The first few times she had performed when she was younger she had felt guilty, taking her clothes off for another person's significant other, but Tsunade had told her that she never needed to feel guilty because it was just a job. So long as she never saw those people she performed for as anything other than clients, she had no reason to feel any guilt.

Nina had heard stories about Tsunade before. Supposedly back when she was still dancing, she fell for one of her regulars. He used to only come in to sit at the bar and saw Tsunade once in passing. It was all history after that. They fell in love, Tsunade quit for a time being, and then he got sick and died. Tsunade then came back to the industry and never left. She came back hurt and jaded and said to never fall in love.

So the fact that Nina felt guilty when it came to Minato Namikaze didn't sit right with her. He had been a client before, and her boss now.

That was it. He wasn't anything other than that.

So there was no reason for her to feel guilty.

None.

* * *

It was close to seven at night by the time everyone in the office got to the bar. It was a place called Kaguya's and it was downtown, only a few blocks away from Mangekyo. When Nina entered it she was surprised to see that it was more of a club than a bar, and when she asked Obito about it he said Kakashi didn't pick the location. He said Jiraiya, the company's CFO, picked it, even though he was away on an extended business trip. It had something to do with the fact that the bill was going on Jiraiya's card.

Most of the people from the office were all seated at the bar, far from the dancing and having small talk over beers. Nina's eyes shifted to where there were already a fair amount of people dancing. It never failed to surprise her how quickly people could get themselves drunk enough to start dancing in the middle of the bar, despite how silly they might look.

But despite only knowing a few people from the office, she still felt at home. Clubs were where she felt safest, as she had been working in them for so long.

"Why did anyone let Jiraiya pick the place?" Obito said beside her, walking up to the bar and waiting for the bartender's attention. He had his back turned to them as he made a set of drinks and Nina looked down the bar to see who all was there.

"It sounds like Jiraiya is quite the character," Nina said.

"Oh you have no idea. Just wait till he's back in the office. He'll probably be all over you," Obito told her, tapping his fingers impatiently.

"What does that mean?" Nina asked, feeling a nervous laugh bubble in her throat.

"He's a sucker for a pretty face," Obito told her with a smile that stretched all the way to his ears.

Nina intended on giving him a hard time and teasing him for calling her pretty, but never got the chance as the bartender was now looking at the two of them. Nina turned away from Obito and blinked dumbly when her eyes rested on the brunette bartender with the square jaw.

"Fugaku?" She asked, remembering the man who had walked her to Kiri Street just the other day.

Fugaku narrowed his eyes for a fraction of a second before they lit up in recognition.

"Nina, right?" He asked, the corner of his lips already pulling upwards.

"You two know each other?" Obito asked with a raised eyebrow, looking between the two of them. Nina looked at Fugaku, trying to find the quickest way to explain that they didn't actually know each other, but Fugaku answered for her.

"Oh yeah. We go way back," He said with a nod at Obito.

Obito narrowed his eyes, inspecting the both of them, trying to pick up on the sarcasm. Nina tried her best to stifle a laugh, although she was pretty sure all she did was bring attention to her dimples that were too freaking deep.

"You with this party?" Fugaku asked, his dark eyes catching her own.

"Yeah, I guess I am," She said, looking around and seeing Kakashi, Guy, a few of the other salesmen, as well as the executive directors. "Can't you tell I fit right in?"

Fugaku gave her a side smile and shook his head, "Oh absolutely," he paused and leaned his elbows on the bar. "What are you drinking?"

"Can you make me a Manhattan?"

His dark eyes twinkled when they met hers, "Sweet or sour?"

"Sweet," She said with a grin. He returned it with a nod and turned around to make the cocktail. It wasn't until she could feel Obito's suspicious stare did she look away from Fugaku and looked at the other admin.

"The hell was that?" He pressed, narrowing his eyes and pointing his finger directly in her face.

"The hell was what?" She said back, careful not to trip over her words. Obito didn't budge and continued to scowl at her the way a younger brother might have.

"You didn't tell me you were dating anyone!"

Nina could feel her eyes bug out, " _I'm not!_ "

As if right on cue, Fugaku walked back over and placed the Manhattan on the bar.

"Let me know if it's sweet enough," he remarked, giving her a wink and turning away to help another customer. Nina bit the back of her tongue before picking up the drink and putting the black straw to her lips. She chose to ignore Obito as she took a sip, enjoying the sweet burn from the whiskey of the drink.

"Obito. Nina," A different voice spoke. Nina set the drink down on the bar and craned her neck to see Minato with his hands in his pockets.

"Just in time. Maybe you can help me get a drink, Boss." Obito said, elbowing Nina in the ribs. She shot him a scowl and flicked him in the ear in retaliation. He squeaked and flicked her in the arm and before Nina could retaliate, Minato cut in.

"You guys are like kids," He said, stifling a laugh. "What are you talking about?" He said, directing his attention towards Obito.

"The bartender is too busy flirting with Nina to even ask me what I want!" Obito whined, all but throwing his hands at Nina's drink to show Minato what he was talking about. Minato's blue eyes flickered to where Nina stood, but he looked away from her and to the bartender before she could even say hello.

"Well Obito, looks like our Nina is quite the heartbreaker then."

Nina didn't even have to look at Minato to see the tension in his body, as she could feel it from where he stood beside her. He was as taut as a string, to the point where she could see the veins straining themselves in his neck. She wanted to reach out and touch his arm to smooth out the harsh lines there, but kept herself in check since she knew it probably wouldn't have been welcome.

"Are you okay?" Nina asked. Her voice was soft enough that she doubted he even heard her, but he still looked at her through the corner of his eye.

"I'm great," His voice was tight and Nina recoiled at the harshness there.

Obito must have caught it too, as he exchanged a look with Nina and actually took half a step back.

"Excuse me, I need to go speak with Shikaku," Minato said, patting Obito on the back and slipping passed the two of them.

"What was that?" Nina muttered. Her eyes followed Minato's lean frame as he first stopped by Kakashi, said a few words and patted him on the back with a tight smile, before he went over to where Shikaku stood with Inoichi and Choza and pulled him off to the side. Once they were out of ear shot, Nina could see Minato speaking quickly to the scarred man. Shikaku said nothing, but kept his eyes focused and nodded occasionally.

"I don't know. I've never seen him like that," Obito admitted.

The two continued to watch Minato until their attention was pulled back to the bar where Fugaku was.

"Sweet enough?" He asked, his dark eyes rested on Nina once again. He exuded an air of confidence that reminded her of Madara, and she wasn't sure whether she liked that or was intimidated by it.

"Perfect," She said back, feeling her dimples pierce her cheeks.

"Hey, can I get something?" Obito asked as he pouted.

Fugaku looked him up and down only once before placing both of his hands on the bar and leaning on them. Nina had seen Ay do the same thing enough times to know that it meant Fugaku wasn't going to serve Obito a damn thing.

"ID?"

Obito's mouth fell open into a gape and he looked at Nina for help.

Fugaku smirked and stood up straight, "I'll get you a water."

When Obito turned back to Nina, all she could see was how red the tops of his ears were. His mouth hung open and his eyes were big behind the frames of his glasses and he was just absolutely fuming.

"Kakashi has a drink and he's not of age!" Obito shouted, pausing only when Fugaku placed the water in front of him. Fugaku threw a quick amused look at Nina and she stifled her laugh with the back of her hand when he turned away.

"Sorry Love," Nina said, squeezing Obito's shoulder.

Obito took the water regardless, and muttered angry curses under his breath as he sipped it.

It was then that Nina realized Obito must not have had many friends in the office. He only ever ate lunch with her, only talked to the other coworkers when they needed something, and hadn't said hello to anyone else in the bar. She must have been the only person to give him a chance and she felt her heart squeeze itself at the thought.

"Should we go say congrats to Kakashi?" She asked.

"Lemme finish my water first," He grumbled, looking away from Nina and around the bar. She smiled at him and sipped on her Manhattan. She then looked back to where Minato was standing with Shikaku. He was running his hands through his hair and Shikaku was saying something to him, probably words of reassurance. She doubted it did much to help though, as she could still see the tense lines in Minato's frame, despite being on the other side of the bar.

"Oh God," Obito said under his breath, suddenly turning his head to the side. Nina pulled her gaze away from Minato and raised her eyebrow at the dark haired boy beside her.

"What?"

"Nothing," He said under his breath. His eyes darted out over to a group of the salesmen and Nina tried to follow his gaze.

The group of salesmen consisted of Kakashi, Guy, Genma, Raido, and a few others. Obito wasn't friends with really any of the salesmen, but her eyes landed on the only girl that stood over there.

She had shoulder length brown hair and stood close to Kakashi, smiling and giggling whenever he said something. Nina leaned back and looked at Obito, catching him looking at the girl.

"She's pretty," Nina pointed out.

"Yeah she is," Obito said with a soft sigh. His dark eyes finally rested on the girl and Nina slipped her arm around Obito shoulders, having to stand on her tip toes as she did since she lacked her heels.

"What's her name?"

Catching on, Obito looked at Nina and crossed his arms as he puffed out his lower lip, "No! Stay out of it!"

"Oh come on!" Nina said, pulling away from Obito. He didn't say anything but his face was turning shades of pink. "Well I'm going over there to say congrats to Kakashi. You can either come or not."

Nina turned around and walked in the direction of Kakashi and didn't even have to turn around to know Obito wasn't far.

When she reached the group of salesmen they all stopped and stared at her. Nina swallowed hard, feeling like she was back in high school. She thought she had been on pretty good terms with the salesmen, as they all said hello to her in the morning and asked how she was doing, but now she wasn't so sure. She tried to find something to say but came up empty handed, as they all continued to stare her down.

"What happened to your eye, Dimples?" Genma asked, breaking the silence. She paused and put her fingers to the bruise. She had tried to forget about it and almost managed it too, since Obito hadn't asked her about it, but she supposed she must have looked like a mess. All dressed up with a dark black eye.

Instead of answering him, Nina did what she was best at and deflected it, "did Shikaku tell you to call me that?"

It broke the ice and the group of the salesmen let out chuckles and opened up their circle for Nina and Obito. Nina stood between Genma and Obito, and Obito stood next to Guy. He was almost directly across from the girl with the brown hair, but he looked down at the ground instead of at her.

"I don't think we've met," Nina started, looking at the girl beside Kakashi. "I'm Nina, the new admin."

She reached out and shook her hand, offering Nina a small smile, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Rin. I work downstairs as one of the secretaries."

"Do you come upstairs a lot?" Nina asked. She figured Rin must have, as she clearly knew Kakashi well enough to come to the party. She could feel Obito stiffen next to her and she gave his arm a light squeeze of reassurance.

"I used to work up there actually!" Rin started, shooting a brief look to Obito. "I was the admin before Obito was."

So there it was. That was how Obito knew her and why he was head over heels for her. Nina nodded at Rin and said congratulations to Kakashi. He thanked her, quietly as always, and they resumed talking. Genma and Raido each had drinks, as well as Kakashi, but Guy, Tenzo, and Ebisu did not.

Nina absentmindedly listened to the small talk and let her eyes wandered around the bar. She saw Shikaku back with Inoichi and Choza, those three always seemed attached at the hip, and saw Minato at the bar alone, checking his phone.

"Who you checking out, Dimples?" Genma said with a smirk, giving her a nudge. Nina looked away from Minato and to Genma. She liked him the most of all the salesmen. He had an attitude that most people who worked in clubs had, and if he wasn't on such a successful track at Konoha Enterprises, she would have suggested he work as a bartender at Mangekyo. With his attitude and good looks, he would have made a fortune.

Genma's eyes drifted over to where she was looking and raised his eyebrow.

"Well you're either checking out the bartender or our boss. So which is it?" Genma asked, winking at her. Nina could feel her eyes grow and her mouth fall open into a gape.

"I'm not checking _anybody_ out!"

"Oh it's gotta be Minato then, otherwise you wouldn't be looking at me like that," Genma said with a snicker.

"I-I'm not checking him out!" She stuttered. Genma only raised one eyebrow, still smirking at her as he slipped a toothpick into his mouth. "He said hello to me and Obito earlier and he was kinda pissed. I was just wondering if he was okay."

Genma looked over his shoulder at Minato and then back to Nina. He wiggled his eyebrows at her before saying, "Well then… Go make sure he's _okay_ , Dimples."

She smacked him on the arm and he snickered. The rest of the group turned to look at them, each giving them a puzzled looked.

"You good?" Obito asked. Nina gave him a smile and nodded. She then felt Genma swing his arm around her.

"I'm making her get me a drink. Jack and coke please!" He announced, lightly pushing her toward the bar. Nina turned over her shoulder, shooting a death glare at Genma but he only smirked at her and threw his arms up in a shrug.

He would have fit right in at Mangekyo.

She swallowed hard and headed over to the bar. She swore she could feel Genma's smug stare on her back, so she purposely left about three seats between where she stood and where Minato sat. In fact, he was so engrossed with his phone he didn't even look up when she leaned on the bar, waiting for Fugaku.

At the other end of the bar there was a group of about eight people approaching Fugaku and she cringed for him. Nothing was worse than getting a huge group of people at once. Having waited tables when she first started at Mangekyo, she could feel his pain.

Fugaku caught sight of her the same time he caught sight of the party and she watched as he heaved a sigh.

"Nina, I'll be right with you," He called out, walking over to the party.

At the sound of her name, Minato looked up from his phone and looked side to side until he found her.

His blue eyes lit up when he saw her and he crossed his arms.

"Why am I not surprised that you know the bartender?" He joked, trying to talk over the music. Through the corner of her eye she looked over to see Genma casually turning his body between the group of salesmen and where Nina was at the bar.

Not wanting to be rude to her boss and CEO, Nina moved from where she stood until she was at the stool that sat beside Minato.

"I know everyone in the bar scene," She remarked.

Minato smiled into his drink and shook his head. He did the same thing the very first time he came into Mangekyo. She had looked at him from the stage and he had smiled into his drink. Leaning on her elbows, she turned her head to the side and watched him finish the drink.

"Please don't tell me that's straight vodka," She said, pointing at his drink.

"It's on the rocks," He said back, as if that was some type of mixed cocktail.

Nina must have made a face because he was already chuckling under his breath as he gestured to her own drink that was almost finished.

"Please don't tell me there's whiskey in that."

"Whiskey is great. You drink that nasty clear stuff," She said back, wearing a side smirk. Minato laughed and pocketed his phone as he did, turning on the stool until he directly faced her. Those blue eyes were on her again and she was already overwhelmed.

She looked away from him placed her finished Manhattan on the counter, trying to ignore the feeling of Minato's heavy gaze.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a vodka guy," Nina remarked, praying Fugaku would come back over. She kept her eyes on her empty glass, trying to keep her head on straight.

"No?"

"Well I guess it makes sense. The guys who drink vodka are usually white collar, work for pretty corporations, and live in Uptown. The guys who drink the brown stuff are more blue collar, work for a small mom and pop place, and live in the badlands," Nina said with a bitter smile on her face as she looked at a bottle of Jack Daniels. It was no wonder she drank it herself. How many times had she seen a bottle of whiskey as a child?

"So which category do you fall into?" Minato asked.

When Nina looked back at him, he was fishing his phone out of his pocket. She raised her eyebrow and watched the way he unlocked his phone, read something on it, and all but threw his phone down on the bar and buried his face in his hands.

"Are you okay?" She asked, reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder. Her hand hovered and she paused, retracting it after thinking better of the idea.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm great," He said. His voice was strained and when he pulled his hands away from his face, his eyes drooped sadly, looking at where his phone sat.

Right on cue and before Nina could say anything stupid, Fugaku walked over to her, wiping his hands on the rag he held.

"Another Manhattan?" He asked, nodding at her empty glass.

"Oh, no. Jack and coke?"

Fugaku placed the glass on the bar, pouring the drink right there in front of her, "Switching drinks on me?"

"Not for me. It's for one of the boys who isn't old enough to come himself," Nina told him with a soft smile. Fugaku shook his head as he chuckled and threw a straw in the glass.

"Should you be telling me that?"

"You're not going to do anything. I've worked in the industry a long time. I know," She said casually. Fugaku leaned on the bar and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? You'll have to tell me all about it sometime."

From the corner of her eye she could see Minato tense at Fugaku's words, but he said nothing. Nina looked Fugaku directly in the eye and gave him a smirk. He was just like her. From a bad part of town, worked the job that would make him money despite how shitty, and did what he could to get by. There was something to be said for that.

But Nina found herself wishing he had blue eyes.

"We'll talk," She told him, giving him a wink. She grabbed the Jack and Coke and paused to see Minato watching her carefully. "I hope you feel better, Mr. Namikaze."

She made sure to not turn around and look as she headed over to the salesmen, and held her breath up until she reached Genma.

"Thanks," He said, wearing that cocky smirk like always.

"Mhm," She muttered. She should have gotten another drink. She should have gotten a whiskey neat.

"You know, not for nothing," Genma paused and looked around to make sure no one was watching him before he moved a little closer to Nina to say something softly in her ear.

"I hope one day I can find myself a girl who looks at me the way you look at Minato."

* * *

Drop a review please and thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

"The board is going to make me resign," Minato said over the phone, rubbing his forehead as he did. He could hear Jiraiya sigh on the other line, and where Minato wanted to be met with words of reassurance, he was met with silence.

"Well," Jiraiya started, his voice filled with apprehension.

"This is borderline hostile takeover and Danzo is absolutely no help. If anything, I would say he's working for The Akatsuki Group!" Minato shouted, slammed his fist on the dining room table. He was glad that Kushina was out teaching her class, otherwise she would have snapped at him for doing so.

"Don't let the Senju's hear you say that," Jiraiya warned. "There's gotta be another way."

"I'm going to lose my job. I'm going to lose my job and that's that. And then after I lose my job Kushina is going to throw me out on the street along with the ring."

There was a pause again, but this time it felt heavier.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No," Minato muttered. The condo was too hot and he was sweating even just sitting at the table despite being in only boxer briefs. He half considered running a cold bath and drowning himself in it if that meant he wouldn't have to deal with Danzo, The Akatsuki Group, or Kushina ever again.

"I don't care about the job stuff. We'll work that out. I'll hire an outside lawyer if you need me to. I care about the Kushina stuff. What's going on?"

Minato groaned and rubbed his face with his hand, "I don't know! I can't do anything right anymore and she looks at me as if she hates my guts! I haven't slept in the bed in who knows how long, I haven't had a conversation with her that didn't end in a fight in even longer, and she won't even talk about the wedding! It's not that far away you know!" He silently cursed himself for saying 'you know' the way Kushina always did.

Jiraiya started chuckling from the other line and Minato had never wanted to jump through his phone and strangle someone so badly before in his life.

"You actually had me worried for a second there!" Jiraiya called out with a laugh.

"Excuse me?"

"You guys just need to get laid. Have some makeup sex and everything will be just fine."

Minato felt his eye twitch in response. Leave it to Jiraiya to amount everything to sex. It was easy enough for Jiraiya to do so. He didn't have someone he was engaged to. He didn't have an angry redhead screaming at him every three seconds for just breathing.

"That's not the answer to everything."

"And when was the last time you guys slept together?" Jiraiya demanded. Minato rolled his eyes. Truthfully, the harder he tried to remember, the more Jiraiya seemed to have a point.

"I don't know," He muttered.

"Exactly. _You don't know_ ," Jiraiya pointed out. "There's the problem right there! Take her out for a nice dinner, get some wine, bring her home and boom! Everything will be fine."

Minato thought about it, but then frowned. "She won't even go out to dinner with me."

"Oh no. You only get me to solve one of your problems. I gave you the answer to the biggest one. Now it's your job to figure out how exactly to woo her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have research to do."

The line went dead and Minato glared at his phone. Whether or not Jiraiya had a point didn't matter. He called his friend to vent and he barely got to do just that.

He ran his fingers through his bangs and huffed. He needed to get his hair cut but just hadn't had the time to get around to it.

Looking into the kitchen, Minato saw a bottle of vodka. Kushina only drank sake, so it was his and only his, half empty. He looked at the time on his phone and saw that it was a little after noon and figured it wouldn't hurt to have a glass.

He went into the kitchen and filled a short glass with ice and poured the vodka over it. He then put it to his lips and swallowed, coughing into his hand at the familiar burn. Vodka only burned the first few sips, then it felt like warm honey.

As he took another swig, an image of warm brown eyes popped into his head.

Nina.

A sigh escaped his lips without his permission and the next swig he took was larger and made him cough harder. He shouldn't have been thinking about her. He should have been thinking of Kushina's dark blue eyes, not Nina's warm brown ones.

She had told him she hadn't pegged him for a vodka guy, but then explained that it made sense. At the time he wasn't sure what to make of it. He wasn't sure if he liked the fact that he surprised her, since she didn't peg him for a vodka guy, or if he disliked the fact that he ended up fitting into that mold regardless.

If he closed his eyes he could picture her almost perfectly.

He could see her soft black hair, those eyes that made him feel like standing in a burning desert, and her waist that was so fucking small it almost hurt. He could see her smiling at him and those dimples that damn near went all the way through her cheeks. He could hear the softness in her voice and even smell her shampoo.

His eyes shot open and he knocked back the rest of the vodka, cringing at how painful the burn had been. Afterwards he put the glass in the sink and headed in the direction of his bathroom.

He needed a cold shower.

* * *

"You did great today," Kushina said wearing a soft smile. Nina couldn't help but return it, despite knowing she must have looked like a fool during the yoga class.

"You kidding me? If I wasn't so flexible already I would have walked out."

"Not at all. You did great," Kushina promised.

Nina let out a laugh and shook her head as she packed up her stuff. Kushina could be as sweet as she wanted and Nina still wouldn't buy that she did great during the class. Whoever said yoga was easy needed to be punched in the face.

"Nina, I usually stop for tea after class. If you have time you're more than welcome to join me," Kushina offered. Nina looked at her and thought about it. Her black eye was still pretty fresh, so she wasn't allowed to work at Mangekyo, and since it was the weekend she didn't have to work at Konoha Enterprises. Truthfully, Nina hadn't had a weekend off in years and she wasn't sure what she would do with all the time she had.

"Yeah, okay. That would be great," Nina said. Kushina's entire face lit up and they headed out of the gym together and went to a coffee shop that was only a block away. When they got there Kushina ordered just a plain green tea and Nina asked for an Americano. They sat by the window where they could watch people walk by and Nina looked around the cute café and was surprised that she had lived in the city for as long as she had without ever seeing it.

"So have you been a yoga instructor for a long time?" Nina asked, leaning into the back of her chair.

Kushina shrugged and sipped her tea, "I always did it on the side but once my fiancé got this big promotion I was able to quit my other job and focus just on teaching."

Nina's eyes flickered down to Kushina's finger where a giant rock sat, glittering in the light of the café. Her eyes must have widened because Kushina quickly moved her hands to block Nina's view of her engagement ring. She wasn't sure why any woman would want to hide a ring like that, but decided to not press since it clearly was a sensitive topic.

"It was a big promotion," She said with a nervous laugh and averting her eyes.

Nina raised her eyebrow but didn't comment on it. If Kushina was embarrassed by her fiancé's job, who was she to judge?

"So where do you work?" Kushina asked, eagerly changing the subject. Nina shrugged and thought about telling Kushina that she only worked at Konoha Enterprises, but there was something reassuring about the redheaded woman in front of her that made her feel comfortable enough to tell the truth. She was just so tired of keeping secrets, and unburdening herself to just one person would have been more than enough.

"Well I have an office job to help with the bills but I actually," She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "I actually work as a dancer."

If Kushina thought there was something suspicious about Nina's answer she didn't give any indication of it.

"I knew you were a dancer! You had to be with how flexible you are," Kushina said with a grin as she comically patted herself on the back. "Where do you dance? Are you an instructor?"

Nina laughed into her hand when she realized that was why Kushina didn't look suspicious when she said she was a dancer. She couldn't blame her. Kushina was a yoga instructor. Why wouldn't she think Nina was a dance instructor?

"No, um…" Nina rubbed the back of her neck. "An exotic dancer."

Kushina stared at her and blinked once. Twice. Three times.

" _Oh_ ," She then put her finger to her chin in thought. "Well I knew Mei was and I should have guessed since she said you two were friends."

Nina raised her eyebrow but didn't ask when Mei had let that slip.

"Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable," Nina offered. Kushina only waved her hand in response.

"Oh I don't mind. You do what you have to. So is that where you got that nasty bruise then?" Kushina asked, looking at her with a motherly concern. Her eyebrows knit together and she laced her fingers together and leaned her chin on them.

"You guessed it," Nina muttered, subconsciously touching her eye. It must have looked worse than she thought.

Kushina frowned and sipped her tea, "I'm sorry you have to work there. Does the office job not pay you enough?"

"I just have a lot of bills," Nina deflected.

"Well don't we all?" Kushina asked with a small giggle and smile to match. Nina looked at her thoughtfully. It wasn't Kushina's fault. She had a fiancé who paid for all of her expenses and whims. It wasn't her fault that she didn't understand. And Nina had been under different circumstances.

"Let's just say I have more than most people," Nina said under her breath.

Kushina raised her eyebrow but didn't press.

"You don't strike me as most people anyway," Kushina said with a chuckle. Nina shrugged in response.

"Well most people aren't strippers," She muttered under a snicker.

Kushina almost spit her tea out as she erupted into a fit of laughter.

* * *

After they finished tea, Nina left saying she had some errands to run. Kushina looked at her phone seeing it was only two-thirty and spent the rest of the afternoon getting her nails done and going shopping. She didn't care that she didn't have anyone to do it with, she just didn't want to see Minato. He had been stressing over the upcoming board of directors meeting and the case going on with The Akatsuki Group. All he ever talked about anymore was work and Kushina just didn't want to hear it.

But eventually she couldn't avoid him any longer as it had started to get dark. She pulled into her driveway a little after five. Minato's car had been exactly where he left it, on the street so she could use the driveway. She doubted he left the house all day. He was probably on his laptop working like he did every other Saturday.

When she got inside she was surprised to see Minato passed out on the couch with his arm thrown over his face and his back to her. He was in a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips, showing off the band of his boxer briefs, and lacked a shirt.

Her eyes then fell on the tattoo that traveled down the length of his spine, a series of kanji that spelled out Flying Raijin. She had been there when he gotten it. He had just turned sixteen and was dead set on getting it one way or another. So they went out one night and he got it tattooed down his entire spine. She loved it when she was younger, but now she just thought it was stupid.

She closed the door behind her hard enough to rattle the walls and Minato bolted upright, looking around the room with wide blue eyes. When they found her he only let out a sigh and cracked his shoulder and rested his elbows on his knees, rubbing his eyes.

"Did you have to slam the door?" He muttered, his voice thick with sleep.

"Did you have to fall asleep on the couch?" She retorted, going into the kitchen to get a glass of water. When she got there her eyes fell on his bottle of vodka that had been half full in the morning and was now almost completely empty.

She could hear him scoff from behind her, "You kicked me out of the bedroom months ago."

Ignoring him entirely, she grabbed the almost empty bottle and spun around, holding it up for him to see.

"Spent the day drinking huh?" She asked, narrowing her eyes until they were daggers.

Minato sighed when he saw the bottle and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm sorry. I know you hate the smell of it."

She didn't say anything and slammed the bottle down on the counter.

"Kushina," He tried, standing up and walking over to where she stood with her arms crossed. He didn't smell like alcohol, which Kushina was thankful for, but that didn't do anything to quell her undeserving anger.

"So you sat around and drank all day?" She asked, avoiding his puppy dog eyes. She didn't want to see the way he would look at her when her words would sting too much. She didn't want to see the moment his heart would break.

"I…" He paused, seemingly looking for the right words. "I was here all day and with how stressed I've been I thought I would have a drink."

"Clearly. You killed half the bottle," She muttered.

She let herself look at him for a brief second and immediately regretted it, because he wasn't upset. He was angry.

"Seriously?" He started.

She should have stopped him right there but he kept going before she could.

"I work ridiculous hours all to keep a roof over our heads and work almost every weekend so you don't have to. I'm the youngest CEO in the industry—the _industry_ , Kushina. I can't sneeze without someone watching me, and with how stressed I've been I decided to have a drink in the comfort of my own home and you're going to come at me for that? _For that?_ You know how many people in my position would do far worse things? You know how many executives have thrown their marriages out the window for drugs and hookers? And you're going to come at me for having a drink in _my own_ house?"

The fact that Minato managed to rip her apart all whilst keeping his cool irritated Kushina more than his actual words did. It wasn't the drink that set her off. It was _everything_ that set her off, but there was no point in talking to Minato about that because Minato didn't like problems. He liked solutions. It was part of what made him such an incredible CEO, and Kushina loved him for it. But when it came to this, she wasn't sure if there were any solutions.

"Get out." The words left her mouth before she could even register what they were.

"What?"

"You're not going to speak to me like that, you know! Now get out!" She snarled, shoving him back with her hands.

Whether from shock at her words or catching him off guard, he actually stumbled back a few steps, looking at her with big blue eyes that were so confused. If he had looked at her like that when they were younger she would have kissed him until he smiled, but now she didn't care. She was just so sick of it.

"Kushina—"

It was like her body switched into autopilot as she stormed into their bedroom, ready to slam the door shut in his face, but he was too close behind her to do that. She went to slam the door but he caught it and looked at her with those wild blue eyes. She turned away and headed for the closet.

"Kushina, wait!" Minato called out desperately from behind her.

"Here's a shirt," She snapped, ripping a t-shirt off the hanger without looking at it. "And here's some shoes," She tacked on, grabbing the pair of Vans he used to wear before he got hired as CEO, and shoved them into his bare chest.

"You're kicking me out?" He asked incredulously, trying hard to meet her eyes.

"Take your keys and go!" She shouted, pushing him back again. He didn't fight with her as she did, but he continued to stare at her as if he was a deer caught in a set of headlights. She couldn't blame him. She never had done anything like this before.

"Kushina, please." Minato whispered as he shook his head.

"GET OUT." She finally screamed when she had successfully pushed him into the living room. He stood by the front door, holding his shirt and shoes and only stared at her with his mouth hanging open.

Unable to look at him any longer, she turned on her heel and marched into the bedroom and slammed the door so hard that their engagement picture that hung on the wall fell to the floor and shattered the glass.

Kushina's back fell against the wall and she sank to the floor.

Then she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

* * *

Nina leaned closer to Bee from where she sat on the stool at the bar, trying to hear him over the music. He had texted her around nine saying that he got out of Mangekyo early and asked if she wanted to go out for a little. Nina agreed to go out and she was excited to see him, but she didn't believe that he got out early for a second. Now she was heckling the actual story out of him.

"He's just mad at me because of Hanzo punching you. He's been kicking me out early damn near every night," Bee explained. Nina could just imagine a pissed off Madara stalking around the club, tormenting anyone in his path.

"Of course he has," Nina said, knocking back the rest of her beer.

The bar they met at had started to get packed the later it got, and they had just managed to get a seat at the bar itself. It was only ten at night but for some reason the place had been pretty busy. She and Bee had stood around for at least a half hour until a spot at the bar itself had finally opened up.

"He really fucked you up," Bee said. His lips tugged downward and she couldn't see his eyes through the darkness of his glasses, but she knew that his eyes would be cast towards the floor in guilt.

"Hey it's not your fault! You didn't know he was going to punch me," Nina tried, touching Bee's arm. "Plus having the black eye is kind of nice since I haven't had to be at Mangekyo," Nina tried, offering a weak smile.

Bee didn't buy it and he crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? And what about your bills?'

"The rent's been paid," she answered, looking for the bartender so she could get another beer.

"No, I mean what about your d—"

"It's covered," Nina said quickly, wishing like hell she had another beer.

"Yeah but how many times has—"

Her eyes shot to the side to meet his and she narrowed her eyes, " _It's covered_."

Bee sighed and shook his head, clearly not having the strength to argue with her about this. She sighed in relief. She didn't want to talk about it and it wasn't any of Bee's business anyway. She rubbed the back of her neck and closed her eyes. She needed another beer or maybe even a shot of whiskey.

"Who the hell is the bartender talking to? I need a refill," Bee grumbled after he finished his own beer. He craned his neck, trying to see across the room and Nina's eyes followed his, seeing the bulky frame of the bartender and nothing else.

"I can't see," Nina complained, feeling her lips pull into a pout. It wasn't until the bartender move did Nina see what exactly the bartender was dealing with.

"It's not even eleven and someone's already so shitfaced they need a cab?" Bee commented with a snort.

All Nina saw was yellow and when she got off the bar stool and stood up, she realized that the person who was shitfaced at the other end of the bar was Minato.

"Jesus Christ," Nina cursed, leaving Bee and heading over to where her boss was seated at the bar, holding his head up with his hand and his eyelids fluttering shut every few moments. She got to him faster than she thought possible, as she had to wade through the crowd, and when she got there she had to squeeze herself between where Minato was seated and where there was a group of guys eyeing him up because the expensive watch he wore.

"Mr. Namikaze?" Nina tried, touching his shoulder.

He was in a gray t-shirt and a pair of worn in Levi's. At another glance she saw he had a pair of Vans on his feet that were discolored and ripped open in places, forcing her to take a double and triple take of him. He looked _so young_ when he wasn't in the expensive suits. She even wondered if she had confused him with someone else. She would have walked away and thought that was the case too, but the watch on his wrist probably cost about as much as a house did, and Minato was the only person she knew who was young enough to afford one.

"Mr. Namikaze," She tried again, shaking his shoulder lightly.

When his eyelids fluttered open she was bombarded with those sky bright, blue irises and any doubts she had of whether or not it was Minato were quelled.

"Nina, what are you doing?" Bee demanded, finally getting over to where she stood beside her boss. He was bigger than her and had a much harder time maneuvering his way through the crowded bar.

"Nina!" Minato called out as a dopey smile stretched across his face. He blinked hard at her and leaned close, almost falling off the stool in the process.

"You know this guy?" Bee deadpanned.

"Miss," It was the bartender and Nina's head snapped in his direction. "I need you to get your friend out of here. He's not causing a problem or anything, but he keeps falling asleep and I can't babysit him," the bartender explained, gesturing at where Minato's eyelids were fluttering shut again.

Nina understood. Ay had that problem at Mangekyo. It was almost harder to deal with people who got so drunk they started to fall asleep. At least when they were belligerent the bouncer could kick them out. But when they were _nice_ drunks who were just sleepy, the bartender often had to keep an eye on him to make sure no one mugged the poor guy. And this bar was way too packed for that. There were already way too many people eyeing up Minato's watch.

"I'll get him out," Nina promised. The bartender nodded and gave her a wary look before going to help another customer.

When Nina turned back to Minato she was greeted with the unamused face of Bee who was crossing his arms as he towered over her and stared her down.

"Don't look at me like that," Nina groaned. Her eyes shifted to where Minato rested his head on the bar and closed his eyes. Nina shook him awake again. "You have to get up."

Minato frowned and waved his hand, trying to go back to sleep but Nina slipped her arm around his and pulled him off of the stool. She grunted as she did because damn, Minato was a lot heavier than he looked. He was pretty lean so she figured he must have been a skinny guy. It wasn't until now did she realize he must have been all muscle.

"Help me out here!" Nina said to Bee, trying as hard as possible to keep a half conscious Minato upright.

Bee huffed and grabbed Minato's other arm and slung it around his shoulders, bearing most the brunt of the blonde's weight.

"What am I supposed to do with him?" Bee asked with a loud huff, craning his neck around Minato to send a glower towards Nina.

"I don't know! Let's just get him to the car," Nina all but shrieked, feeling panic sink in.

They half walked, half lugged Minato out to Bee's old Cadillac and managed to get him into the back seat. He groaned as he fell back and laid across the entire back seat. Bee shook his head in irritation and closed the door so he could turn to Nina.

"What the fuck is going on?" He hissed.

Nina bit down on her lower lip and rubbed her temples. When she agreed to meet Bee for drinks she hadn't been expecting _this_ to happen.

"He's my boss," Nina muttered under her breath, choosing to bite down on her thumbnail.

"Come again?" Bee asked, still frowning at her.

"He's my boss!" She snapped, pulling her hand away from her mouth and gesturing to where the blonde was sprawled out in Bee's car.

Bee looked through the window of his car and then back at Nina, repeating the gesture several times before choosing to cross his big arms to stare Nina down. She swallowed hard and wished like hell that she had a shot of whiskey before she dragged Minato out of there.

"Funny because you and I have the same boss. And that… _Kid_ in there does not look like _Madara fucking Uchiha!_ " Bee somehow managed to scream at her all whilst hissing through his teeth simultaneously, and Nina would have asked how he performed such a feat had she not been about to pass out from a panic attack.

Nina looked around for bystanders and when she found the coast was clear, she leaned close to Bee and pointed at the car.

"That _kid_ in there is the CEO of Konoha Enterprises and he's in the middle of the shit part of this city with a million-dollar watch on his wrist. What the fuck was I supposed to do with him?" Nina whispered through her teeth, trying desperately to keep her voice down.

Despite being hidden behind dark glasses, Nina could still see his eyes double in size.

"You work for Minato Namikaze?" Bee said softly, staring at Nina as if she had six heads.

Nina wanted to bury her head in a pillow and scream, but settled for running her hands through her hair and messing it up entirely.

"Help me figure out what to do with him and I'll explain everything later," She promised.

Bee looked around and cursed before opening the passenger's side of the car so she could get in.

"You're a pain in my ass."

Nina said nothing in response, slipping into the car and waiting for him to walk around and do the same. When sat down, she immediately looked at where Minato was stretching out in the back seat and poked his leg with her finger, still surprised at muscle there.

"Mr. Namikaze, where do you live? We're going to take you home."

Bee got in the car and locked the door, turning his head to see where Minato was lazily opening his eyes and yawning.

"Oh I can't go back there," He explained casually, only having a slight slur to his words.

"Why not?" Nina asked, overwhelmed with the urge to beat some sobriety into her boss.

" _She kicked me out_!" Minato shouted suddenly, throwing his arms up in the air and sitting up so fast he had to pause and put his hand to his stomach.

"Throw up on my seats and you're dead," Bee growled.

Minato's blue eyes slowly shifted to Bee and he blinked the way a toddler might have, taking in Bee's huge form. Nina would have found it endearing had she not been in the middle of a full blown anxiety attack.

"Mr. Namikaze, you need to tell me some place we can take you," Nina tried, grabbing his attention again.

Minato looked away from Bee and when he saw Nina he leaned forward and rested his head against her seat.

"How many," he hiccupped, "many times do I have to tell you to call me Minato?" He asked curiously. His blue eyes may have been bloodshot as hell from all the alcohol he consumed, but they were crystal clear when they regarded her.

Nina could feel Bee's stare on her, heavy and skeptical.

"At least one more time. Now where should we take you? Is there a friend's house you can go to?" She tried to refocus his attention but he was giving her puppy dog eyes again.

"You let Shikaku call you Dimples, but you can't call me Minato?" He pressed, leaning closer if that was even possible. Nina leaned back and looked at Bee through her peripherals. The bouncer was only watching her with a frown, taking it all in.

"Mr. Namikaze, focus!"

"Are you mad at me?" Minato frowned at the same time a hiccup came over him, making him look like he was pouting. "I can't handle it if _you're_ mad at me, Nina. Anyone but you."

"He's pretty well spoken for a drunk," Bee pointed out casually when Nina started rubbing her temples in frustration.

Minato pointed his index finger at Bee and gave him a lopsided smile, probably from all the alcohol running through his bloodstream, and said, "years of speech class my friend."

Bee actually started laughing and Nina could have strangled him in that moment. Why she was the only person trying to solve the current dilemma she would never know, but nothing she said or tried to do was helping.

When Nina looked back at Minato, his eyelids were fluttering shut again and he was reclining back down to lay down across the back seat. She reached forward, grabbing hold of his forearm and pulled him up. He yawned and opened his eyes.

"I'll just sleep here."

Bee looked at Nina and she threw her hands up, "I don't know!"

"Can't we just take him to a hotel? I'm sure he's got a couple of black cards in his wallet," Bee muttered, looking at Minato as he lied back down.

"My black cards are none of your business," Minato announced cheerfully before closing his eyes once again. Bee's head whipped to Nina in excitement at the thought of solving their problem but she only sighed.

"He's the youngest CEO in the history of Konoha Enterprises. You can't really think that some reporter won't get wind of two sketchy people dropping him off at a hotel?" Nina said with a frown. She could just imagine what it would like to see herself and Bee dragging a drunken Minato into some hotel room. They probably would have the cops called on them for attempted robbery.

"Well we're not sitting here all night. Let's just drop him off at your place," Bee said, starting the car up.

"Why me?" Nina shrieked.

"He's _your_ boss!" Bee retorted. "Plus he seems to like you so why does it matter?"

Nina could think of nothing to say in response and only buckled her seatbelt and closed her eyes. If this was what happened when she went drinking with Bee, she would never go out with him ever again. She figured that this was probably karma for not working at Mangekyo. What else could it have been? Who else could this have possibly happened to?

By the time they got to her house Minato was completely passed out. Nina and Bee both got out of the car and had to pretty much drag him out, and by the time he was out in the open he was half awake, smiling stupidly at Bee.

"Why is he so heavy?" Bee complained as Nina worked on unlocking her door. The locks were starting to rust and she needed to get them replaced before she was no longer able to even jimmy her key in there.

"I work out," Minato said casually. Then he hiccupped. "It helps the mind."

Nina could hear Bee groan from behind her.

She finally got her door open and they ushered Minato inside. Once in the small living room, Bee let Minato collapse onto the old couch. Minato just lied there and looked up at the ceiling with those pretty blue eyes.

Nina looked at Bee, "thank you."

"You owe me an explanation. I mean it. When you get this all squared away I expect an explanation," Bee warned, pointing his finger at her.

"I know. Can we just keep this between us? Please?"

Bee nodded and leaned forward to hug her quickly, "Will do."

When he left she bolted the door and then rested her forehead there. She really hoped Minato wouldn't be mad at her when he woke up. She couldn't just leave him there in the bar. He would have been mugged. She supposed that the only saving grace was the fact that he wasn't in a bar in uptown. She doubted that he would have gone largely unnoticed in a bar up there. At least downtown less people cared about the corporate world.

When she turned back around, she saw Minato propping himself up with the palms of his hands, giving her a hazy look.

"Are you mad at me?" He looked at her the way a beaten dog might have looked at its owner and Nina could feel the exact moment her heart broke.

"Of course not," She told him softly. How could she be mad at him? His fiancée kicked him out of their house and from what Obito told her, their relationship had been going downhill for a little while now. She couldn't blame him for wanting to go out and drink himself into oblivion. Nina had done the same thing more times than she could count.

"You're not going to throw something at me?" Minato pressed, his eyes narrowing. Nina felt her eyebrow quirk. So his fiancée had been one of _those_ types.

"Why would I throw something at you?"

Minato shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just used to it."

Nina moved forward and slipped her arm through his, pulling him into a standing position. He didn't fight with her, and he was awake enough to stand mostly on his own, though he still leaned a considerable amount of weight on her.

"Mr. Namikaze, I don't think that's a very healthy relationship if your fiancée is throwing things at you," Nina said, taking slow steps to her bedroom. She had seen him come into work enough times trying to roll out his shoulder from a bad night's sleep. She figured he must have been sleeping on the couch at home, and Nina's couch really needed to be replaced. There were springs popping up on the one end and the few times she had been drunk enough to fall asleep on it resulted in knots in her back for days. She could deal with sleeping on her couch for a night, but she couldn't put Minato on there in good conscience, especially when he was so clearly hurting.

"She's always been like that," Minato told her with a sad sigh.

Nina pushed the door of her room open and flicked the light on. Sure, her apartment may have been a bit of a shithole, what with the water leak in her kitchen and the old pipes. But she tried to keep her room nice enough. Her bed was fairly new and she kept her clothes off the ground. It may not have been a five-star hotel, but it would have to suffice for now.

"You can sleep in here tonight," She said, letting him fall onto her bed.

Minato looked up at her with those bloodshot eyes and his eyebrows knit together, "where will you sleep?"

"Couch," She answered easily. "Are you a puker? Because if you throw up on my bed I will seriously hurt you."

Minato rubbed the back of his neck and let out a low chuckle, "No. If you drink clear stuff you don't get sick," he laughed again. "Jiraiya taught me that."

Nina could feel the corner of her lips pull into a small smile. How could anyone be mad at Minato? He was like a puppy for Christ's sake.

"Fair enough," she started. "Take your shoes off and go to sleep. You're shitfaced."

Minato pouted at her but started to kick his Vans off anyway. Then he muttered under his breath, "…Am not."

"Mhm," She said back, crossing her arms and leaning in the doorway.

He looked so _young_ that it hurt. He was only two years older than her, but in the office he held himself to such a standard that he came across as much older. But when she looked at him in a soft gray t-shirt, a pair of faded Levi's, kicking off a pair of Vans that had been ripped and torn, she realized just how young he really was. She herself had a pair of Vans that looked pretty similar, ones that were held together with duct tape because at the time she couldn't afford a new pair. She wondered what he was like before he was CEO and her heart jumped at the thought. She wanted to know the Minato with the old shoes and faded jeans. She wanted to know Minato, and not just Mr. Namikaze.

"Why are you," he hiccupped, "looking at me like that?"

Nina blinked and straightened up, "like what?"

"Like you _love_ me," he said with a giggle and a smile splitting across his face. A pang of guilt hit Nina so hard that it almost knocked the breath from her lungs. She could hear Tsunade in the back of her head, telling her about Dan.

"Go to sleep, Mr. Namikaze." She shut the light off and closed the door, heading for the living room.

Then she fell on her couch, buried her face in a pillow, and screamed.

* * *

So I obviously very clearly took some creative liberty with Minato's character here. It was just hard to write him while he was drunk since we've never actually seen what he's like when he's drunk (have we?). I know some people are probably going to be upset about his portrayal in the second half of the chapter, but people tend to be totally different when they're that intoxicated.

I hope no one is upset with me!

Leave a review!


	11. Chapter 11

Minato's head was pounding when he opened his eyes. Sunlight trickled in from a nearby window and he strained his eyes against the light. He could hardly remember anything from last night. He had a couple drinks at home, fell asleep, woke up to an angry Kushina, and then she kicked him out. He left the house and went downtown to drink for a little bit. He hadn't wanted to drink in Uptown because he would see too many people he knew and they would just ask him about his fiancée. So he ended up at some bar downtown and the rest was all fuzzy.

But what scared him the most was the fact that he didn't know where the hell he was. He sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed he was on and surveyed his surroundings. He was on a large bed with navy sheets in a spotless bedroom. His eyes found a vanity in the corner, a couple books on the floor where a nightstand should have been, and a closet that had the doors taken off.

Horror pulsed through him when he saw an array of glittering bras hanging off of hangers in the closet, as well as lingerie and dresses that were so small they looked like they would make a second skin. He wanted to throw up. If he had done something with another woman, he would never forgive himself. Never.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up too quickly. He groaned and put his hand to his forehead, mentally pleading for an aspirin.

His eyes shifted over to the vanity where he could see a picture frame and he went over there, hoping that maybe it would give him a clue of where exactly he was.

The picture was in a frame that was rusting in the corners and when Minato picked it up, he felt both relieved and terrified at the same time.

The photo was of Nina. She was much younger, the youth visible on her face as she lacked the smile lines she had now. In the picture she wore a white crop top and low rise jeans, wearing a big grin that made those dimples pierce her cheeks and made her brown eyes glitter. She stood over a cake that said 'Happy 18th Birthday Katia!' on it. He frowned at the sight of her stage name on the cake and took in the rest of the picture.

Nina had her arm around a man who was at least three times her size and stature, and while she was grinning from ear to ear, the man she had her arm around wore a flat expression. His black eyes were neutral and if it hadn't been for the smallest quirk in the one corner of his mouth, Minato would have thought he was angry. He recognized the man as the owner of Mangekyo Strip Club, and ran a hand through his hair. What kind of life did Nina live where the picture she kept framed and in her bedroom was one of her in a strip club?

The bras and lingerie hanging up in the closet suddenly made sense, and Minato felt slightly more at ease. But the thought of being alone with Nina in her apartment made his head start to spin.

He took in a sharp breath and exited the bedroom, heading down a small hallway that was uncomfortably narrow to see Nina on the floor in the living room, leaning into a split. She had white headphones in her ears and her eyes closed as she stretched her body in ways that he doubted Kushina even could.

He cleared his throat but she didn't hear him, and seeing no other choice, he walked around so he stood in front of her. Her eyes fluttered open and he was looking into those warm brown irises once again.

She pulled the earbuds out and looked up at him from the floor, still stretching.

"How'd you sleep?"

Minato cleared his throat and looked around the room, "Fine. Um… What am I doing here?"

Nina's eyebrow arched and Minato swallowed hard as she said, "You mean you don't remember anything?"

He wasn't sure how he felt about that response. What exactly did that even mean? The image of Nina's room with her lingerie hanging up flashed in his head. He remembered yesterday afternoon when he had thought about her for too long and ended up chugging vodka and taking an ice cold shower. What if he said something to her while he was drunk? What if he had done something stupid?

He could only shake his head at her. Her eyes twinkled in response and she let out a soft laugh that rang like music in his ears.

"A friend and I went out last night and we saw you at the bar. You were totally tanked and the bartender told me I had to get you out of there. You said you couldn't go home, and when I asked if you had a friend's house you could go to you were too drunk to give me an answer," she shrugged her shoulders and stood up. She wore only a sports bra and a pair of leggings that cinched around her tiny waist. Minato was thankful that the leggings were pants so he didn't have to look at her long legs, but that didn't do much to help his focus. "And I figured dropping the wasted CEO of Konoha Enterprises off at a hotel late at night probably wasn't an image you wanted to have, so we brought you back here."

She brushed passed him and went into the kitchen, pouring a glass of water and grabbing a bottle of pills from one of the upper cabinets.

Minato looked around the apartment. It was small, only a fraction of the size of his condo. There were water marks on the ceiling, rust on the window frames, and cracks in glass windows themselves. His eyes drifted over to the L shaped couch in the room and swore there were springs coming up from one one side.

"Sorry, I know the place is kinda ratty," Nina said coming over to him with a glass of water and two aspirin in her hand. She offered them to him and he gratefully popped the pills, already anxious for the headache to go away.

Afterwards he looked at Nina and saw her self consciously looking around her apartment and biting her lower lip as she did. He suddenly felt like the world's biggest asshole.

"No, not at all. I just…" He stopped. He what? He thought she should have been living in a condo like his? He thought she should have at least been able to live in a place that wasn't falling apart? He couldn't say either of those things without coming across like a pretentious douche bag, so he didn't finish his statement.

Nina didn't press and she took the glass away from him and went back into the kitchen. He sighed and ran his hand through his bangs. Another question was already burning in the back of his mind and despite trying hard to push it down, he just couldn't.

"Last night, um…" He cleared his throat, "we didn't… Well I mean we didn't… Do anything, did we?"

Nina leaned on the little island that separated her kitchen from the living room and raised her eyebrow at him.

"Like?"

"I mean," He cleared his throat again. Why did he feel so awkward? It was just Nina after all. The girl worked in a strip club for fuck's sake. He very much doubted that the topic would make her uncomfortable. "Um."

Catching on, Nina's eyes widened for the briefest second, so quick he almost didn't catch it. She nodded, understanding his silent question before answering him.

" _Oh_ … Oh yeah… Yeah, we had hot wild sex all night," she said casually, even looking at her nails as she did. She looked back at him and leaned on her hand, "it was pretty good actually."

Minato could feel all the blood drain from his face and his mouth start to fall open.

Then she erupted into a fit of giggles and wiped her eyes as she continued to laugh so hard she might as well have been crying.

"No, we didn't do anything! I'm a stripper not a prostitute!" She finally said after she had gotten her laughter under control. She still smiled at him though, and the corners of her eyes crinkled as she did. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or embarrassed. Those brown irises found his and she looked at him through half lidded eyes. "I couldn't help myself. The look on your face was too great."

Minato rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. Then he let out a soft chuckle in spite of himself. She grinned at him and then all he could pay attention to were her dimples.

"Have you always had dimples like that?" The words slipped out of their own volition and he immediately wished he could have taken them back. But if Nina thought it was a weird comment, she didn't say anything. She only brushed her hair back and shrugged.

"Always. No matter where I go, where I move, where I work, I always have people calling me Dimples. My dad has them too and let me tell you, he uses them to his full advantage. The ladies used to love him."

He looked at Nina and wondered what her father would have thought of his daughter being a stripper. He wondered if the man even knew, and whether or not they kept in contact anymore.

"Used to?"

Within an instant of a second, Nina's whole face changed and she was tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"You should shower. You smell like a bar and probably don't want to go back home like that," she offered, changing the subject entirely in that moment. "Plus it looks like you spilled beer all down the front of your shirt."

He looked down and saw what she was talking about and groaned. Why did he have to be such an idiot? And why did he have to be such an idiot in front of Nina of all people?

"No it's okay. I'll just shower at home," he muttered.

She didn't move from where she leaned on the kitchen island and blatantly raked her eyes up and down his figure. He scratched the back of his head. Where did he go from here? What if he walked in the front door and Kushina kicked him right back out?

Before he could give Kushina a second thought, he dug through his pockets to make sure he still had everything on him. He had his phone, wallet, and even his keys. Surprisingly nothing was lost, but then he paused.

"You wouldn't happen to know where my car is, would you?"

Nina blinked and shook her head, "I don't even know what kind of car you drive."

He groaned and collapsed onto the couch and buried his face in his hands. Tomorrow he had a meeting with Danzo and a conference call with the Senju's to discuss the lawsuit turned hostile takeover, but none of that mattered if he didn't have a vehicle that could get him to his house and back to work again.

"I'd offer to drive you around, but I don't actually have a car," Nina told him with her eyebrows knitting together. She shifted on one leg and with the way the light hit her face, all he could see was her black eye. He felt his heart contract. The bastard who hit her should have been in a body bag.

"So how do you get home from Mangekyo when it's so late?"

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and tried to shrug, "I walk."

" _Nina_ ," he breathed, trying to catch her eyes. She looked down and said nothing. He stood up and crossed the room to where she stood at the island. He almost reached out and brought her into his arms, but he caught himself before he could go through with it.

"Cars are too expensive," She said with a smirk that wouldn't have fooled a single person who looked at her.

"You shouldn't be walking alone downtown at three in the morning," He said back.

Her brown eyes caught his and his breath hitched. _Fuck_ she was beautiful.

"Well if you want my help finding your car, you need to shower because you smell like the bottle," She said, completely ignoring and deflecting his last point. He could feel himself frown but couldn't find it in him to argue back.

"I don't have any other clothes," He tried. "I'll still smell like the bottle if I shower and put these back on."

She tilted her chin upwards and it was then that Minato realized he was way too close to her. He hadn't realized that when he walked over to where she stood that he would end up so close, but he could feel her breath on his face and smell her shampoo. He should have moved away. He should have walked to the other end of the room so he could call a cab and leave, but he just couldn't.

"Take a shower and I'll wash your clothes. I even have clothes here you could wear while you wait too," she said, her dark eyes flickering in the light. He realized at this distance he could see different flecks of brown and almost gold in her irises.

"Why do you have men's clothes here?" He asked, trying as hard as humanly possible to keep his eyes locked with hers and not let them travel anywhere else.

She leaned back and stood up straight, causing her hips to pop. She was putting distance between them and Minato felt his stomach drop in disappointment when she moved away.

"You ask too many questions. Come on," She walked around the island and waved her hand for him to follow her. Not seeing any point in arguing with her, Minato followed her down the hallway and to the tiny bathroom at the end of the hall.

The bathroom was even smaller than he thought, and he pushed himself against the sink to take up less space as Nina leaned down to start the water.

"You can use whatever soap I have in here. My body wash is pretty neutral so you won't won't have to walk around smelling like a flower," she shot him a grin, "oh and my water is a little screwed up, so the red is cold and the blue is hot," She explained, turning to grab a towel from a rack that was hung above the toilet. Minato tried to crane his neck so he could see the knobs on the shower at the same time she turned around to hand him a towel. It ended up with her colliding directly into his chest and almost stumbling backwards.

"Sorry!" He said quickly, his hands coming to rest on her upper arms due in part to their proximity, but also to help her keep her balance. Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head.

"Um no you're fine, the bathroom is small," She said, looking away from him as her face heated up. She moved away from him to stand on the threshold of the bathroom and pushed her hair back, "just leave your clothes on the sink. I'll grab you a pair of sweatpants and a shirt," she refused to look at him as she spoke and before he knew what happened, she slipped out and he was standing alone in her bathroom.

Minato shook his head and tried to catch his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. He needed a cold shower again and maybe even a shot of vodka.

He peeled his clothes off, cringing at the smell of stale alcohol on him. He folded up his clothes from the previous day and placed them on the sink, stepping into the shower after.

With the poor state of her apartment, he half expected the bathtub to be cracked and falling apart, but it was in surprisingly good condition. He wasn't too surprised though, as her bedroom had been spotless as well as her kitchen.

Adjusting the water, he cranked the blue knob all the way over, bracing himself for the icy cold stream.

Instead he was greeted with scalding hot water.

" _Shit!_ " He cursed, remembering what Nina said about her water being messed up. He tried to even out the temperature, but the knobs weren't the easiest to turn and he could feel the scalding water lightly torching his back.

"Mr. Namikaze, are you okay?" It was Nina from the other side of the door and Minato sighed in relief when the water finally hit a normal temperature.

"Yeah," He called out. What was the matter with him? Why did he always turn into a complete blundering idiot around her?

He heard the door of the bathroom open, and before he could poke his head out from behind the shower curtain he heard Nina's voice say, "I'm just grabbing your clothes. There's fresh ones on the sink. They might be a little small but you should be good."

Minato muttered an embarrassed thanks and ducked under the stream, deciding to opt for a hot shower rather than a cold one.

Letting the water work out the kinks in his shoulders, Minato closed his eyes and tried to remember anything from last night. He had originally gone to a bar not far from his house, but too many people recognized him and tried to start up a conversation with him. He didn't want conversation. He wanted to wallow in self pity, so he drove himself downtown to go to one of the dive bars there. His car had to be there, but he had no idea where the bar was.

Nina would probably know. He sighed deeply and let the situation sink in. Who would have thought that Nina of all people would come to his aid? He shouldn't have been surprised, as Nina just seemed to be someone who genuinely cared about his wellbeing, but he was. He learned early on that if he was ever too drunk to drive home to _not_ call Kushina. She would never come get him and chew him all out the next morning. So then he relied on Jiraiya the few times he had a little too much to drink, and if Jiraiya couldn't get him he would sleep in his car.

But for whatever reason, Nina had cared enough about him to pull him out the bar and give him a place to sleep. He would be eternally grateful for that and tried to think of some way to thank her.

He shifted his attention to the bottle of body wash and put it to his nose. It didn't have a scent to it, it just smelled clean, just like she said it would. He was grateful for that too, because if he came home smelling as sweet as Nina always did, Kushina would never speak to him again and he would probably be a single man… Though he probably would have deserved it. If Kushina came home smelling like a man he would have popped a blood vessel.

When he finished his shower, he stepped out and grabbed the towel Nina had left him and dried off as quickly as he could. His eyes found the pile of neatly folded clothes on the sink. There was a pair of boxers, sweatpants, and a white t-shirt.

He slipped the clothes on and remembered Nina telling him that they might be on the smaller side, and looked at himself in the mirror and cringed. The pants fit well enough, though they were a little short, but the shirt looked absolutely ridiculous. He looked like one of those obnoxious guys that went to his gym in shirts that were purposely tight so they could show off to the girls there. And that combined with the moisture of the bathroom made him look like he was in a wet t-shirt contest.

Shaking his head, he towel dried his hair and draped the towel over the shower curtain before taking slow steps into the living room.

Nina was sitting on one end of her sofa, having changed into a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt that fit her almost too well and exposed a part of her lower stomach. He wasn't sure what worse. Having her walk around in just a sports bra or in the shirt she had on now…

Her eyes flickered from her phone and she looked at him, looking him up and down twice before covering her mouth and erupting into laughter.

"Think you're funny, huh?" He remarked, catching sight of his reflection in the window. He did look a little ridiculous.

"I'm sorry," she finally stopped laughing but after another look at him she started up again. It must have been almost a minute before she was able to calm down. "I knew they would be small but I didn't think it would be that bad."

"I look like I'm in a wet t-shirt contest," He deadpanned. She at least had the decency to stifle her laugh this time, though he could still see her dimples as she fought to choke down the giggles.

"Well if it's any consolation, you would definitely win," she offered with a smile that told him she was only seconds away from laughing at him again. He chuckled in spite of himself and walked over to the other side of the couch.

"Is that a tattoo?" He heard Nina say from behind him as he passed her, her voice filled with curiosity. Minato paused just before he sat down. He could see springs at this end and ended up sitting directly beside Nina instead, choosing to avoid the metal coils.

"You can see it?" Minato muttered to himself, trying to look over his shoulder.

"Well you're in a white t-shirt that's almost skin tight," She started. He could feel her hand on his shoulder blade, gently pushing him so his back faced her. "Can I see it?"

His pulse quickened and his skin felt hot from where she touched him through the thin material of the shirt.

"You don't have to show me. I just love tattoos and wish I had one," Nina said quickly, pulling her hand back. He wanted to tell her that he didn't have a problem with her hand being where it was, but those words got stuck in his throat.

"No it's okay. I don't mind," He assured. Truthfully he was happy to get the stupid shirt off of him since the seams felt like they were cutting into him.

He reached for the collar at the back of his neck and pulled the shirt off, sitting up straight so she could see better.

"It's beautiful," She said. Minato could feel the cushion dip and figured that meant she moved closer to get a better look at the tattoo. He felt himself smile and looked down. Hearing that she liked his tattoo made him happier than he thought. Kushina had liked it when they were kids, but as they got older she told him it was stupid for him to have something down going down his entire spine. The fact that Nina liked it made his day a little better.

He could hear her take in a breath to say something but before she could, a buzzer went off. He turned his head to see her getting up and walking into the hallway.

"Sorry, that thing is obnoxious," she said. He could hear her opening the washer from the hall and after a short moment she came back out into the living room, "your clothes should be ready in twenty minutes or so."

"Thank you," he said. She nodded at him with a smile and threw herself on the couch next to him.

He played with the white shirt in his hands and went to put it back on, struggling to fit his arms through the sleeves. The seams were tight on his biceps and the shirt was way too snug to ever be comfortable, but he figured sitting shirtless in Nina's living room wasn't the best idea.

"So Mr. CEO of Konoha Enterprises has a tattoo… How scandalous," She said with a wicked smirk on her face that made those dimples pierce her cheeks once again.

He smirked in spite of himself and shrugged, "I was a kid."

"You're not much older now," She pointed out.

As soon as the words left her mouth, he could hear her phone buzzing from where it was in her back pocket. She fished it out and took one look at the screen before silencing the ringing. Her eyes had narrowed at the screen and her shoulders tensed, but she said nothing of it, before slipping her phone into her back pocket once again.

"We can take a bus downtown and I'll take you to the bar you were at last night. Hopefully your car's there, otherwise you're shit outta luck."

"You don't think it'll be towed do you?" He asked, feeling absolute horror rush through his veins at the possibility. The city was ruthless when it came to towing, and that was a headache he did not need.

"From Deidara's? No way. The guy doesn't care enough to tow your car," Nina told him, leaning into the tough cushions of her couch. She pushed her hair back and turned to look directly at Minato. He averted his eyes almost immediately and rubbed his hands together under the weight of her gaze.

"So your fiancée… She kicked you out, huh?"

Damnit. He should have known she would have asked about that sooner or later, but that didn't do anything to quell his anxiety.

He let out a sigh, leaning his elbows on his legs before saying, "yeah."

"I'm sorry."

Minato's eyes shifted to where Nina was looking at him. She genuinely looked like she felt bad about the whole thing, with her lips pursing together and worry lines appearing in her forehead. Even when she looked upset she still managed to look beautiful somehow.

"It's all right," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "She hasn't been too happy with me lately."

He could feel the burden of it all weighing down on his shoulders and making them ache. He wanted to tell somebody about it. Jiraiya had been no help and he was the only one who knew that something was going on between him and Kushina. He didn't have anyone else to talk to that would listen to him or take him seriously. He didn't have anyone other than his pretty admin with soft dark hair and big brown eyes…

But the thought of opening himself up to Nina like that made him feel guilty for some reason, as if he would have been doing something wrong. But he wouldn't have been, right? Nina was just a coworker—or a friend. And if they were just friends, then why did he feel so guilty?

"She kick you out of bed too?" Nina asked, tilting her head to the side. Minato held back a smile at the endearing gesture.

"What makes you say that?"

Nina shrugged, "Most of my clients are guys in failing marriages or relationships. They always love to ask me for a massage because their backs hurt from sleeping on the couch," she paused and let out a short laugh. "I mean you've never asked me for a massage, but you come in every day with a bum shoulder, so I figured it must have meant you were on the couch too."

Minato only blinked dumbly at her. Was he that obvious?

Without warning, he could hear her phone buzzing again and Nina pulled it out, wearing the same agitated expression with narrowed eyes, but this time when she looked at the screen the irritation temporarily vacated her expression and seemed to be replaced with relief.

"Sorry, one sec," she said, getting up and heading into the bedroom to take the call.

The minute she was out of the room Minato exhaled and shook his head. It was next to impossible to focus around her, and it didn't help that she was able to read him as easily as an open book.

He pulled out his phone to see if he had any missed calls or texts from Kushina, but found himself disappointed to see that she hadn't reached out to him at all. He had a few texts from Jiraiya, talking about his "research", and too many emails from work, but he didn't have the energy to go through them, so he put his phone away.

Unsure of how much time had passed since Nina entered the bedroom, Minato heard the buzzer for the dryer go off. He waited to see if Nina would emerge from the other room, but she didn't. Without anything else to do, Minato walked over to the dryer, pulled his clothes out, and headed to the bathroom to get changed. He needed to get home and talk to Kushina face to face, and he knew the longer it took him to get home, the angrier she would be.

He looked like a completely different person in his casual clothes, in his old jeans and gray t-shirt. He missed being able to walk around in those clothes all the time, and not having to wear expensive suits every time he left the house.

Grabbing the clothes Nina had given him to temporarily, he left the bathroom at the same time she left her bedroom.

"Sorry, it was my boss," she explained, averting her eyes. She then walked over to where he stood and took the clothes he held, throwing them on top of the washer.

"Is everything okay?" Minato asked, noticing the way her shoulders hunched forward.

"Mhm." She took brisk steps into the living room, brushing her hair back impatiently as she did. Minato could feel his lips tug into a frown.

"You don't look like you're okay," He said softly, trying his best not to upset her. He had learned fairly quickly that when Nina got like this she turned into a pit viper. Anything that he did or said wrong would cause her to lash out at him in a way he didn't think his heart could handle. He could deal with Kushina being upset with him. He had been his entire life. But when Nina was upset with him he felt like a failure of a man.

She let out a sigh and finally turned on her heel to look at him. Her hair framed her face in a way that brought all the attention to her bruised eye.

"We can have a heart to heart later, Mr. Namikaze. Let's go get your car?" She offered him a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and Minato found himself wanting to bring her into his arms until she felt secure again.

But he couldn't do that, so he opted for trying to make her smile instead.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Minato?" He asked, feeling his own smile sneak its way onto his lips.

She blinked at him and then before he knew it, dimples pierced her cheeks and she let out a sigh before saying, "at least one more time."

* * *

They took a bus downtown and Minato was relieved when no one recognized him. It wasn't like his area of the city where everyone knew who he was, even when he went out on the weekends to grab a coffee. Downtown no one knew who he was, or at the very least, they didn't care.

When the bus dropped them off, Nina told him they had a few more blocks to go before they reached the bar, so he walked beside her, taking in a part of the city he hadn't been familiar with. Most people kept their heads down as they walked, some eyed him up like he was a piece of meat, or they blatantly eye fucked Nina. She didn't pay them any mind though, and only looked up when someone cat called her to give them a scowl that made his blood run cold.

He found himself extremely grateful that he lived where he did.

"We're only about two blocks away," Nina told him, looking over her shoulder to see where he trailed behind her. He nodded in response, already anxious to get to his car when Nina came to an abrupt stop and he collided into her back.

He quickly apologized, but Nina wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, her eyes were focused on a woman with orange hair who was crossing the street, waving to Nina as she did.

"Shit," Nina mumbled under her breath.

"What?" Minato asked, moving to stand beside his admin.

"Nina, where have you been?" The woman demanded, coming to a stop only an arm's length away from them and planting a hand on her hip. "Damn Babe," the woman continued, reaching her hand out to take Nina's chin between her thumb and index finger to inspect her black eye.

"You should have seen it last week," Nina remarked, pulling away from the woman.

As if on cue, the woman noticed Minato and he swallowed hard under the scrutiny of her gaze. She looked him up and down, and then her eyes shifted between him and Nina several times.

"Don't look at me like that," Nina said with an exasperated sigh.

"Like what?" The woman said, a smirk appearing on her face as she wiggled her eyebrows. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your… _Friend?_ "

The way she said friend was enough to make Minato blush.

"No, I'm n—" Nina was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. Letting out a string of curses, she fished her phone out of her purse, took one look at the screen and rolled her eyes before silencing the ringing and dropping the phone back into her purse.

"I'm Mei," The woman said offering her hand out to Minato and fluttering her eyelashes. He didn't miss the way that she pushed out her chest as she did, and he wondered if this was one of Nina's coworkers from Mangekyo.

"Minato," He answered, shaking her hand.

"Well Minato, it's a pleasure to meet you. Have you and Nina known each other long?" She asked, snickering as she did and shooting looks at Nina through the corner of her eye. Minato could just practically feel Nina scowling beside him.

"Cut it out," Nina warned, crossing her arms and straightening her shoulders as she did.

"Cut what out?" Mei remarked, now full on grinning.

" _Mei!_ "

"What?" Mei said back, throwing her arms up dramatically as she did. "Is it so bad that I care about my friend's love life—or lack thereof?"

Minato could feel his face heat up and he looked at Nina in hopes of her saying something that would diffuse the tension. But rather than that, her mouth only hung open as her face turned several shades of pink.

"Wh-what are you talking about!" Nina stuttered. "We're just friends! He drank too much last night so I'm taking him to his car!"

"Oh so he went home with you?" Mei asked, completely and totally ignoring the fact that Minato was standing right there. He swallowed hard once again. From Mei's perspective, it really didn't look all that great that he and Nina were together in that moment. Especially when she mentioned the fact that he went home with her.

"Oh my God," Nina groaned. She placed her hand on Minato's mid back and started gently pushing him forward. "I'll call you later!" Nina said, looking over her shoulder as she continued to urge Minato forward.

He could hear Mei giggle from behind them before saying, "It was nice meeting you Minato! Hope to see you again!"

When they had crossed the street, Nina removed her hand, leaving the skin under his shirt scorching hot. His heart raced and his thoughts swam around aimlessly in his head. He shouldn't have felt like that whenever she touched him. He really should _not_ have felt like that…

"I'm sorry about her," Nina started, avoiding his eyes no matter how hard he tried to get her to look at him. "She desperately wants to get married but can't keep a relationship to save her life, so she has to live vicariously through everyone she's friends with."

He cleared his throat before saying, "I could tell."

The rest of the way to Deidara's was spent in awkward silence. Minato was unable to stop thinking about what Mei had been insinuating, and Nina seemed so lost in her own thoughts that he was too nervous to try and strike up a conversation with her.

How would he explain his night to Kushina? He went out, got drunk, and had a friend pick him up? Kushina would no doubt ask which friend, and he didn't want to lie to her and say it was somebody else like Shikaku. Sure, no doubt the scarred man would lie for him, should Kushina ever bring it up, but what was there to lie about? Nina was a friend and she had his back when he drank too much. He shouldn't have felt the need to lie to Kushina about that.

"I'm assuming the Audi is yours?" Nina asked when they reached the parking lot of the dive bar.

Relief rushed through Minato's veins as he eagerly fished his keys out of his pocket. There was no ticket on the windshield, and no boot on the tire.

"Oh thank God," He said with an exhale, taking quick steps to his car.

He reached the front door but paused when he couldn't hear Nina's set of footsteps behind him. Her phone had started ringing once again and she was glaring at the device as she silenced it. Whoever was trying to get in contact with her was clearly on bad terms with the raven haired girl.

"Well, Mr. Namikaze," Nina started, taking slow steps towards him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She went to turn around and Minato felt his heart jump.

"You're just going to leave?" He blurted out, unable to quench the blooming anxiety in his chest at the thought of her leaving so abruptly. She paused and turned back around, raising an eyebrow as she did.

"What do you mean?"

What _did_ he mean? What else was she supposed to do? He had to get home to Kushina and he was certain she had errands to run. So why did his heart drop at the thought of her leaving?

"How are you going to get home?" He asked, scrambling for something to say to her. She looked to the side and let out a short laugh.

"I was going to take the bus like I always do," She responded, leaning on her hip as she did and drawing attention to her legs that went on for days.

"Can I drop you off?" He asked, and the way she looked at him made him immediately regret opening his mouth. She didn't look mad or anything, just mildly skeptical as she pursed her lips. He needed to stop being so nervous around her. "It's a long way back to The Valley, and it's probably quicker if I drive." _And safer_ , he thought, but he didn't say it aloud.

Nina looked over her shoulder and bit down on her lip. His eyes followed the gesture and his stomach twisted.

"If you want?" She said finally, though it was more of a question than an answer.

"I insist," He said back, trying to be self assured like he was at work.

His tone seemed to put her at ease, if ever so slightly, and she walked over to the passenger's side, and slipped into the car with him.

In the small, enclosed space, the only thing he could pay attention to was the fact that he could smell her perfume. And if her eyes made him feel like he was standing in a burning desert, then her perfume did absolutely nothing to help that. She smelled of warm spices that made him feel hot all over, and when he started his car the first thing he did was turn the AC on full blast.

"Just get on the highway and take Exit 3. That'll take you right to my neighborhood," Nina instructed, narrowing her eyes at the level the AC was on. Minato only cleared his throat and nodded, unable to articulate any words or a sentence for that matter.

It was quiet for several minutes, and after Minato was able to think clearly again, he broke the silence, unable to endure it any longer.

"Thank you," He muttered, struggling to keep his eyes on the road.

Through the corner of his eye, he could see Nina turn her head to look at him, "for what?"

"For picking me up last night. I don't remember anything, and it's probably best that I don't, but I really appreciate it. I know I can get kind of stupid when I drink too much," He admitted. Truthfully, he didn't know much about his drunken persona, as he rarely ever over indulged. Kushina hated the smell of vodka and most liquor, as well as beer. She also would always give him a hard time for going out, so he almost never did it. But the few times he had, all he could remember was that he was a very _happy_ drunk, which he supposed was a much better alternative to Jiraiya. If the guy was a perv before, after a couple of drinks he became completely incorrigible.

He could hear Nina laughing softly behind him, and in response let himself smile to himself. She had one the sweetest laughs he had ever heard, and it never failed to make him smile.

"I don't think I've ever met such a lovable drunk before in my entire life. And trust me, I've met more than my fair share," She said, her tone finally lightening up so it was no longer apprehensive.

"Do I even want to know what I did?" He asked, happy for the fact the heavy awkwardness between them was fading.

"You were just so… Happy," She told him. He turned his head for a few short seconds to see her looking at the highway and leaning on her hand, wearing a serene look on her face. "I mean at Mangekyo I normally deal with angry, perverted, entitled drunks. You were a nice change…" She paused and shot him a look that made her brown eyes twinkle, and made him look back at the road. "I think I might actually like you better drunk."

Minato scoffed and feigned surprise, "What is that supposed to mean!"

She snickered in response before saying, "It means exactly what it sounds like."

Minato continued to smile as he looked for the approaching exit. He could remember bits and pieces from the night before as the day went on. He remembered a big, muscled guy, with light hair, and he remembered lying down in the back seat of a car, but not much else.

"You mean I'm not as much fun to be around when I'm sober then?"

He could hear Nina take in a soft breath before answering him.

"When you're sober, you're all tense and uptight and proper. When you're sober you're Mr. Namikaze. But when you're drunk, you're…" She stopped. "Ah, nevermind."

Minato raised an eyebrow and looked at Nina once again before taking the exit.

"No come on. What?" He pressed, nudging her with his elbow.

"Focus on the road," She told him, though there was no bite to her words. "And don't worry about it." She remarked, flicking him in his arm the same way she did to Obito only a few nights ago.

Minato chuckled and shook his head, turning onto one of the side streets and going down until he reached a small cul-de-sac. Apartments lined it and he pulled up in front of Nina's little apartment, one that was on the edge of the little neighborhood, and put the car in park so he could finally look at her.

"Come on. What am I when I'm drunk?" He pressed. She rolled her eyes, still wearing an amused expression though, and shifted in her seat so she faced him entirely. He could feel his breath hitch in his throat, but if she noticed she said nothing about it.

"When you're sober you're Mr. Namikaze. When you're drunk, you're Minato."

Minato only continued to look at her in confusion, letting the words sink in. He always felt more like the old Minato when he went out, if for no other reason than for the fact that he wore the clothes he used to wear before being hired as CEO. But truthfully, he didn't know the intoxicated version of himself well enough to know how similar he was to the old Minato.

Minato rested his head against the headrest on his seat and took in Nina's appearance. She didn't wear anything fancy, her hair framed her face in wild waves, and her brown eyes weren't outlined in the usual makeup she wore for work. Without the makeup, he could see all the lines on her face. The crow's feet at the corner of her eyes, the smile lines around her mouth, and the small indents in her cheeks from those dimples he loved so much. She looked a little unkempt, completely natural, and for reasons he didn't know… Slightly heartbroken.

"I'm still Minato when I'm sober… Just not so much at work," He told her, and a smile broke across her face, deepening those lines on her face he had just been admiring.

She shook her head and laughed once, "well I'd like to get to know Minato."

The car felt hot again, despite the AC still going, but this time he didn't care. This time he didn't want to submerge himself in cold water. This time he wanted to feel the heat. He wanted to feel what would happen if he didn't run away from it.

"I'd like you to get to know him too," he said under his breath, soft enough to just be above a whisper.

She frowned at him, with the corner of her lips tugging downwards, but she didn't look sad. She only looked confused, with a crease appearing between her eyebrows. Her lips parted to say something, but no words came out.

His eyes fluttered down to look at her lips, and they looked so soft. When he looked back up at her brown eyes, they were half lidded and angled down slightly.

He wasn't sure when, but Minato had started to lean in slowly, without even realizing he was doing it. He wanted to kiss her. He knew he shouldn't have, he knew it would have been wrong, but he wanted to in a way he had never wanted anything before in his life.

"Mr. Namikaze," She started, probably trying to be the voice of reason. But she never finished her sentence because he realized in that moment, she wanted him to kiss her too.

With his instincts taking over, he cupped her cheek, pulling her closer to him and feeling her soft breath on his face.

His eyes went to flutter shut, but the moment before he caught sight of movement from behind Nina, specifically from her apartment. And to his astonishment and horror, there was a man fumbling with the door knob.

In less than half a second he jerked away, " _who is that?_ "

Blinking in confusion, Nina leaned away from Minato and turned her head to see the man trying to get into her apartment.

" _Jesus Christ_ ," she cursed, grabbing her purse and fumbling with the lock on the door of his car before getting out.

"Nina, what are you doing!" Minato shouted, scrambling out of his car and trying to stop her before the strange man _assaulted_ her for fuck's sake.

"Go home, Mr. Namikaze," Nina snapped, looking over her shoulder and walking up the concrete steps to the front door of her apartment where the man was fumbling with the doorknob.

"Nina stop! What are you doing?" Minato yelled, closing the distance between them, with every intention of pulling her away from the intruder.

But before he could, the man stopped and glowered at Nina so harshly that Minato cringed at the sight.

"What? You don't answer your phone?" The man shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. He was a small man, mirroring the birdlike frame that Nina had, and was practically all skin and bones. His hair was black and his eyes were a light hazel, and at this proximity, Minato could see that he wasn't trying to break the door of the apartment down, but rather that the man had a key.

"What are you _doing?_ " Nina shrieked, running her hands through her hair.

The man then noticed Minato and scoffed, "oh so you blow me off for some guy you're fucking? Thanks, _Doll_. I really appreciate that."

Nina recoiled at the words and looked to Minato with her eyes big and pleading, "Mr. Namikaze, _go home_."

"I'm not just going to leave you here with some stranger that's trying to break into your house!" Minato argued, though he couldn't deny the fact that the small man was still holding a key.

"Stranger? Who the hell do you think I am?" The man snarled, jabbing a finger into Minato's chest.

"I think you're the person that's trying to break into her apartment!" Minato snapped back, unsure of where his sudden rage was coming from.

"Break in?" The man repeated, this time laughing. "You think I'm trying to break in?"

"Mr. Namikaze, go home to your fiancée, _please_ ," Nina begged, her eyes now watering. Minato's heart contracted on itself. Just moments ago he had been about to kiss her, and now it was all falling apart and reality had come back to crush him where he stood.

"Oh he's engaged? Real nice, Doll. Real nice. Where'd you learn that? Your mother?" The man barked, rolling his hazel eyes as he did.

It was then that Minato noticed a detail in the man's face. When he spoke, dimples pierced his cheeks, almost identical to the way they did when Nina smiled or laughed.

" _Have you always had dimples like that?"_

" _Always. No matter where I go, where I move, where I work, I always have people calling me Dimples. My dad has them too and let me tell you, he uses them to his full advantage. The ladies used to love him."_

"Daddy, stop!" Nina said, pulling out her key and fumbling with the lock before swinging the door open. "Go inside!"

The man snarled a few more angry words under his breath, though he sauntered inside the apartment anyway, barking out something about needing a bottle of Jack.

Minato only looked at Nina in confusion, but she was already miles away, pinching the bridge of her nose as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Nina," He tried.

"Mr. Namikaze, _you're engaged_ …" She paused and opened her eyes, showing him that they were rimmed with red.

"Go home."

* * *

***Author's note***

The semester started and I'm already swamped with work. How does that even happen during week one?

Anyway, not much to say about this chapter other than thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has read and left a review! More often than not, if someone points something out, I'll probably tailor the story to make sure it comes across better, so those reviews are a HUGE help. So yeah! Thanks for reading(:


	12. Chapter 12

Nina slipped inside her apartment after telling Minato to go home and shut the door, taking a deep breath before looking at where her father rummaged through her kitchen cabinets. He was muttering a string of angry words under his breath and Nina shut her eyes as she counted to five.

"On top of the fridge," Nina said, finally opening her eyes.

She watched as her father looked up and saw the bottle of Jack Daniels that she kept on top of the fridge. He grabbed the bottle and a short glass, and filled it almost half way before putting it to his lips and knocking back the copper colored liquid.

"What are you doing here?" Nina asked slowly, collapsing on to her sofa and rubbing her temples.

"Well, Doll, if you had answered my calls you would know," her father said with a cough, probably downing more whiskey.

"If you need money I don't know what to tell you. I've already wired you enough for the next month and I don't have anymore," She said, trying to rub the image of Minato out of her mind.

"That's not what I need," he grumbled, taking heavy steps from the kitchen and throwing himself on the couch beside her.

"Then what do you need?" Nina asked, looking up and taking in her father's small frame. He looked so much older every time she saw him, the cigarettes and whiskey clearly taking their toll on him.

Her father put the whiskey to his lips and took a small swig, scrunching his nose slightly at the taste, "I'm in trouble, Doll."

" _Daddy_ ," Nina said with a heavy sigh and rubbing her forehead. "Please don't tell me that some bookie has a bounty on your head again. _Please_."

She could hear her father scoff from where he sat next to her and slammed his glass on the coffee table, "you really think that lowly of me?"

Nina said nothing and the silence that hung between them was heavy enough to crush her lungs.

"I got away from that stuff but some stiff somehow found out about me. He's part of some big corporation, I don't know… He's got some dirt on me and he wants me to do his dirty work," Her father explained, avoiding her eyes.

Nina could feel her eyebrow raise, "what kind of dirt could he possibly have on you?"

It had never been a secret that her father, Kai Sato, hung around with… Less than savory people… It also had never been a secret that he had a horrific gambling problem as well as a drinking problem, and that he had been in debt to bookies before. She knew he had committed theft, had been caught with possession, and had assaulted officers before. So for Nina to wrap her mind around the fact that someone had dirt on a man whose dirty laundry was already aired to the world, wasn't something she could do.

"Daddy?" She asked when he didn't respond.

Her father looked at her, and Nina could see red rimming his hazel eyes. He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm in trouble, Doll."

* * *

Kushina looked at her phone, reading the text from Nina. She had asked the raven haired girl if she was able to get tea with her that morning, as Kushina desperately wanted to vent to someone, but Nina told her she had a family emergency and couldn't.

The disappointment hit Kushina pretty hard, thinking about the way she mercilessly kicked Minato out of _his own_ home. She had considered calling him and telling him to come back, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. So she had spent the night drinking sake and passed out on the couch, waking up late in the morning.

She had been watching the clock all day, waiting for Minato to come back.

She was worried. Sure, they had been fighting for months and weren't necessarily a happy couple anymore, but she loved him nonetheless.

She just didn't know if she was _in love_ with him anymore.

It wasn't until around one in the afternoon did Minato come home. He walked in and Kushina immediately noticed how flustered he was by the crease between his brows and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes.

She was ready to grill him, but stopped when she noticed his appearance. She had expected his clothes to be wrinkled, to smell like a bar, and for his hair to be matted and greasy. But instead, his clothes were wrinkle free, he smelled clean, and his hair was in place, albeit his bangs hung over his eyes ever so slightly.

He must have gone to a friend's house and showered and washed his clothes there. Kushina would have guessed he went to Shikaku's since Jiraiya was away.

"How was your night?" Kushina asked, already disappointed in herself with how bitter she felt.

Minato took one look at her and sighed, crossing the room to where she sat on the couch and took a seat on the coffee table so he was close enough to touch, and so he was right at her eye level.

"I can't do this anymore," Minato started. He leaned forward, taking Kushina's small hands in his and looked down. "I'm tired of fighting, I'm tired of walking on eggshells, I'm tired of not knowing where we stand. Do you want to marry me or not?"

His eyes were so _blue_ that Kushina couldn't breathe.

And in that moment, she saw the Minato that she fell in love with as a child. The boy who came to her aid, the boy who always had faith in her, the boy she had loved since she was just a girl.

 _She didn't want to get married._

But… She could never walk away from that boy. Their history was too great and the love Kushina held for him was too strong. She didn't have to be _in_ love with him to love him. And maybe one day she would fall in love with him again.

But what if…

"Yes," She answered, looking down at where he held her hands. She wanted to pull away, but refrained.

"Good."

And with that, Minato got up and walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

* * *

"You can cover that with makeup," Madara said, holding Nina's chin as he inspected her healing black eye. He was right. The bruise had faded from a dark shade of purple and crimson to a lighter greenish purple, something that could easily be fixed with color correcting makeup.

"Yep. When do you want me to start back?" Nina asked when he released her chin.

Madara inspected her and crossed his arms with a sigh.

"As soon as you feel comfortable." He kept his eyes closed as he said it and Nina could feel her eyebrow begin to quirk upward. Something was off.

"Well then I can start back tomorrow," she paused. Should she say it?

Madara's eyes flickered open and he frowned at her, sensing the apprehension in her tone.

"My father showed up and… You know what, it's not important. He needs help so I need extra hours," Nina explained, averting her eyes around the familiar club of Mangekyo. She could feel Madara's heavy stare even though she didn't look directly at him.

"He shows up once every few months anyway, doesn't he?" Madara asked as he stared her down.

"Yeah just… Really, it doesn't matter."

Madara seemed to get the hint and shrugged before continuing, "I need you here anyway. I've got some shit I have to deal with so I need someone who can run the club while I'm handling business."

Nina could feel her eyes narrow into a glower, "Last time I did that I got punched in the face."

"I took care of it," Was all Madara said. Nina didn't have to ask to know that it meant Madara had probably personally paid a visit to Hanzo to let him know he wasn't welcome at Mangekyo anymore. "I won't be around much in the upcoming weeks so I'm trusting you and Tsunade to handle the place."

"Oh does that mean I get to keep my tips then?" Nina said with a grin that she knew would probably only aggravate her boss. But Madara didn't snarl at her or anything or the sort. He merely looked at her and shrugged once.

"I'll let you keep eighty percent."

Nina couldn't stop her mouth from falling open into a gape. The whole reason she had been in the situation she was in now in regards to Minato was because of the fact that Madara had screwed her out of her eighty percent. But now?

"Don't. Ask." Madara warned.

Nina could only bite back her smile in response.

* * *

When Nina got to Konoha Enterprises that morning, she had been forced to finally think about what had happened only the other day with Minato. It was easy to pretend nothing ever happened with everything that was going on with her father, but now that she was back in the office she didn't think she would be able to pull it off.

He had almost kissed her and she was going to let him, despite knowing that he was engaged.

She should have put him in his place but things between them were just easy. He was easy to open up to, and it didn't help that he was the only person she worked with who knew about Mangekyo. He didn't treat her like she was a good for nothing stripper, and he didn't seem to care that she continued to work at Mangekyo. He only seemed worried for the fact that she was going to burn out.

He just cared so much that it hurt.

So Nina had spent the morning nervously shifting in her chair as she watched the clock, waiting for Minato to come in. Would it be weird? Would Obito say something? Would…

" _Jiraiya?_ " It was Obito's voice, loud and undoubtedly confused.

Nina looked up from her computer to see a tall man with broad shoulders and wild white hair. She immediately recognized him from Mangekyo, as he was pretty hard to miss, and panic flooded her veins.

"Hey, Obito!" The man, Jiraiya, said with a giant grin on his face.

Obito paused and looked between Jiraiya and Nina before saying, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Jiraiya feigned disappointment with a scoff and put a hand on his hip. "You don't sound very happy to see me."

At that, Jiraiya's eyes shifted to where Nina sat and she gulped. His eyes blatantly raked over her chest before coming to settle on her face again, where he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "And who might you be?" He asked, leaning on the desk and winking at her.

"Stop being a creep. She's the new admin," Obito warned.

"I knew we had a new admin. I just never thought she would be so pretty," He never took his eyes off her and Nina could feel her face settling into a scowl that would have made Madara proud. It only took a few moments for it to set in too, because Jiraiya cleared his throat nervously before standing straight up and looking back to Obito.

"Jiraiya?" This time the voice belonged to none other than Minato, and Nina couldn't stop herself from instantly looking at him. Thankfully the blonde CEO seemed preoccupied with the white haired man, and Nina was able to just barely calm her nerves at the sight of him. He looked polished and pressed as always, and the relief she felt was undeniable. When he was dressed up, he was Mr. Namikaze again, and completely out of her league. When he was in jeans and a t-shirt though, he became Minato, and Nina didn't think her heart would be able to handle seeing him like that again.

"Minato!" Jiraiya greeted, wrapping his arms around the CEO for a brief hug. Nina's eyes found Obito and he only shrugged in response, looking just as confused as she felt.

"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be back for another ten weeks." Minato asked with his eyebrows knitting together.

"The Senju's called me," Jiraiya said under his breath. Nina noticed the way Minato's whole demeanor turned rigid. He nodded only once and turned to the admin's desk.

He completely and utterly disregarded Nina. He didn't even so much as look at her or acknowledge her existence when he looked in their direction.

"Obito, would you please cancel my meeting with Shikaku, and move the meeting with Danzo to the afternoon?"

"Of course, Boss." Obito said.

"Great," Minato responded, ushering Jiraiya to follow him as they left the lobby area.

Nina felt a lump in her throat as she looked back at her computer, wading through the emails. It was probably for the best if Minato disregarded her. It was just easier.

"That was… Weird."

Nina looked over to see Obito wearing a frown on her face as he inspected her with his dark eyes from behind his glasses.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I dunno. Did you say something wrong to Mr. Namikaze?"

Nina frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

"Excuse me?"

"It's just that he didn't say hello to you or anything and… I don't know, he just totally ignored you. That's really not like him. He's only ever done that one other time, and that was to Jiraiya when they were fighting."

"…Oh." She didn't have anything to say to that. Maybe it was justified that he was ignoring her. She should have just left him at the bar that night and let him sleep there. She should have put her foot down when he went to kiss her.

"Maybe he was fighting with his fiancée again."

"Yeah. Maybe."

* * *

"They want to move the board of directors meeting?" Minato repeated, his eyes widening at the thought. Jiraiya sat across from him and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, Danzo got a hold of Tobirama and told him about The Akatsuki Group's demands. Needless to say he wasn't too happy about the 2.7 billion dollars or the request to replace the executive board. They want to move the meeting to next week."

Minato leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. What the hell was happening?

"I'm going to lose my job," Minato groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Jiraiya was silent for a short moment before saying, "I'm not going to say that you're in the clear, because you're not. But it might be helpful to know that I don't think either of the Senju's are happy with Danzo right now—especially Tobirama. Let's cross that bridge when we get to it."

Minato kept his face buried in his hands. The day had just started and he already was ready to throw himself out of the window.

"We've got a lot to discuss, so let's get some coffee in here and get to work."

"Yeah," Minato muttered, sitting back up and grabbing his phone. He hated to be such a pain and ask for someone to bring him coffee, but most of the time he was too busy to get it himself.

"Yeah, Boss?" Obito answered.

"Can you do me a favor and bring coffee for myself and Jiraiya—"

"Have the new admin bring it. I wouldn't mind seeing her again," Jiraiya said with a dirty grin spreading over his face as he cackled from across the desk. Minato rolled his eyes and felt his gut twist at the thought of Nina. He had been an asshole to her when he came in. The least he could have done was say hello or good morning, but no. He had to pretend she didn't exist, like the piece of shit he felt like.

"Jiraiya likes his with no sugar and two creamers," Minato said before hanging up.

Jiraiya threw his hands up in the air, silently asking him why he didn't ask for Nina specifically to bring the coffee.

"I'm not letting you harass my admin," Minato answered.

"Who said anything about harass? I just think she's beautiful," Jiraiya gave him another perverted grin and Minato could only scoff in response. Nina was beautiful and only an idiot would deny it, but that didn't mean Jiraiya could just treat her however he wanted.

"Leave her alone," Minato said with a roll of his eyes.

"All right, all right," Jiraiya relented as he pulled out his laptop from his brief case. Minato started up his own computer and pulled out a notepad. Any information that Jiraiya could provide him with was information he planned to use against Danzo in their meeting that afternoon.

Later on he had a conference call with the Senju's, and he was thankful for Jiraiya to give him the heads up of them wanting to change the annual Board of Directors meeting. Maybe if he was lucky he would be able to convince them to change their mind.

Soon after there was a knock on the door, which Minato figured would be Obito coming with the coffee, and he called for him to come in.

He wasn't sure why he was surprised to see Nina's tiny frame enter the room instead, but he was. Maybe it was because he specifically called for Obito, but he should have known. Obito never had a second to himself, and Nina was still trying to get used to how the office ran. So it only made sense that busy Obito would send a less busy Nina to drop off the coffee.

Jiraiya's face lit up when he saw Nina, and Minato swallowed hard. She wore a beige pencil skirt and a sleeveless black turtleneck shirt. All the outfit did was draw attention to her waist that was so small it almost hurt him to look at, and her legs that went on for days. He averted his eyes to instead look at Jiraiya, who was instead devouring her with his own eyes.

"Here's your coffee, Mr. Namikaze," Nina said coldly, refusing to make eye contact with him. He should have said something, apologized for being an ass or something, but he just couldn't find the right words, especially not when Jiraiya was there.

Instead it was Jiraiya who spoke up, leaning his elbow on the armrest and leaning back to look her up and down.

"I never got your name. Minato, why don't you do me the favor of introducing us?" Jiraiya looked at Minato, still wearing his perverted smirk and Minato could feel his chest tighten.

"Jiraiya, this is our new admin, Nina. Nina, this is our CFO Jiraiya," He answered with a tightness in his throat that made it painful to swallow.

"A pleasure," Nina said, though Minato could see the tension in her small shoulders as she spoke.

"Have we met before? I never forget a pretty face," Jiraiya asked, being half the perv he normally was, and being half serious. He was inspecting her closely with his eyebrow arching and Minato immediately knew where his long time friend's mind was going.

Nina must have figured it out too as her eyes almost instantaneously connected with his, silently asking for help.

Unsure of what else to do, Minato stood up and let his body switch into autopilot.

"Leave her be, Jiraiya. She has things to do," He said, walking around to the other side of the desk and standing beside Nina. He placed his hands in his pockets and looked his friend in the eye, hoping to leave it at that. Jiraiya only looked puzzled though and scratched the back of his head.

"She just looks very familiar," Jiraiya rubbed the bottom of his chin, keeping his dark eyes trained on Nina.

"Every pretty face looks familiar to you," Minato placed his hand between Nina's shoulder blades and gently pushed her in the direction of the door, trying desperately to get her away from Jiraiya's scrutinizing gaze. He thought back to less than 24 hours ago when Nina did the same thing to him after they ran into her friend Mei.

He walked Nina to the door and let his hand fall from her back.

"Nina," He started as she opened the door and started to slip out. His tone was too soft, too cozy for him to be using it at work. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised high and her warm brown eyes flaring.

She was pissed.

"I…" He paused, practically feeling Jiraiya's eyes boring a hole into his back. "Thanks for the coffee," he muttered.

If she had been expecting a different response, it didn't show on her face. She only nodded and walked away with her heels clicking in the distance.

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose and closed the door. When had his heart started to pump so quickly?

He plunged his hands back into his pockets and tried to be as casual as possible as he crossed the office to sit back down at his desk.

"What?" Minato asked, finally looking at Jiraiya. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and crossed one leg over the other.

"Why didn't you tell me about her?" Jiraiya asked. He wasn't smiling anymore and his eyes weren't twinkling with perverted thoughts. Minato thought back to when Shikaku came into his office and asked about Nina.

"… _But she got along great with everyone in the meeting. My only question is why didn't you tell me you were hiring a stripper?_ _"_

"What do you mean?" Minato blurted out, terrified that he would have to relive that moment with Shikaku all over again.

"You're not…" Jiraiya paused and let out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "You're not screwing her, are you?"

Minato all but choked on his own spit and reached for his coffee, chugging the hot liquid and burning the roof of his mouth in the process. Why the fuck did everyone seem to think there was something going on between him and Nina?

" _No!_ " Minato snapped when he had finally stopped coughing. "How could you even think that? Just because me and Kushina are going through a rough patch doesn't mean I would start screwing my admin!" Minato shouted, feeling blood rise to his face, ears, and neck as he did.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed again and he took his own coffee and sipped it very calmly before placing it back down on the desk.

"Do you _want_ to be screwing her?"

The way Jiraiya worded it, so plain and casually, so nonchalantly, made Minato want to puke his guts up. The way his friend looked at him wasn't even remotely judgmental. It was just… Normal… Painfully. Fucking. Normal.

" _What the fuck, Jiraiya?_ " Minato snapped, making his voice crack, as he slammed his hand on the desk.

"It's a perfectly valid question. There's plenty of women I want to be messing around with. It doesn't matter what I want… Just as long I don't act on it. You understand?"

Minato only stared at Jiraiya with his mouth slightly hanging open.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I'm saying that you can eye fuck her all you want. Just as long as you don't actually _do_ anything with her. Okay?" Jiraiya said, leaning forward and holding Minato in a fatherly gaze that made him swallow hard.

"I wasn't—"

" _Okay?_ "

Minato paused. He didn't think he was eye fucking _anybody_ , but the way Jiraiya was looking at him and the way guilt was just washing over him made him feel like he was a kid again who got caught sneaking out. He just didn't know why.

"…Okay."

* * *

Nina sat at lunch with Kushina, sipping tea to calm her nerves as she did. She had originally planned to eat with Obito, as she always did, but Kushina had texted her asking for lunch because of an "emergency".

And what Kushina defined as an emergency did not qualify as one in Nina's books, but she appreciated the chance to get out of the office, even if only for an hour.

"I'm confused. So you _don't_ want to marry your fiancé?" Nina repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"No! I mean yes! I-I don't know! You know?" She shouted, her face burning up as she squeaked out the words. Nina blinked and looked around to see the café goers giving them suspicious looks.

"I don't know," Nina said back. Kushina waved her hand dismissively, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

Nina had been alone for what felt like centuries, and she had watched the marriage between her parents fall apart at a young age. Her father had fallen into drinking and gambling, and her mother got sick of his shit and started sleeping around with other men. The divorce had been ugly, violent, and left a young Nina with emotional scars and trauma regarding love. She didn't even know if she believed in it.

Maybe that was why she always had a thing for unavailable men.

"We've been together since we were kids and I love him. I do, Nina. I love him so much that it would make your head spin. But I'm not _in love_ with him and I haven't been for who knows how long."

Nina mulled over her words. How could you love someone but not be in love with them? How could you be engaged to that same person?

"I wish I had some advice for you, but I've never been in or seen a successful relationship in my life," She paused, seeing Kushina's dismayed expression and offered a soft smile. "Why else do you think I'm a stripper?"

That got a chuckle out of the redhead, as she bit her lip to hold in her giggles. Nina felt her smile grow at the fact she was able to make Kushina feel at least a little bit better. The redhead's yoga classes had helped with her stress, so she was glad to return the favor, even if it was only in some small way.

"And what's all this about never seeing a successful relationship? Look at you! You've got that heartsick look all over your face! So who is he, hmm?" Kushina pointed out, obviously trying to get off the subject her dismal relationship and impending marriage.

Nina blinked and looked up from her tea.

"What?" She must have looked like a deer in the headlights.

"I know that look! You've got your eyes on someone! So tell me about him! I need some good news you know," Kushina said with a giggle.

Nina sighed and ran her fingers through her dark hair, "really, it's nothing. I'd rather not talk about it."

Kushina nodded, but not before saying, "so there _is_ someone."

Nina scoffed but said nothing in response, which earned an excited squeal from Kushina. She babbled excitedly about how happy she was for Nina, all while Nina wanted to bury her head in the sand.

"Let's get back to your emergency," Nina tried.

Kushina huffed and visibly deflated, "I just don't know what to do."

"Well," Nina paused and thought of her mother and father. When the divorce happened, her mother originally got full custody. And she remembered the way she spoke in disgust when she talked about her father. She would say up and down that a woman should never waste her time in a loveless marriage and that there was nothing wrong with dating around.

So her mother would do just that. Date around.

One time her mother had been in a two-year relationship with a man, but she was unhappy so she did what she always did.

She cheated.

And eventually Nina's father got wind of all of this and took her mother to court, demanding that he have custody of Nina, saying that she was under poor influence since she was watching her mother "whore around" all the time.

It was a choice between placing Nina with a drunk parent or a negligent one.

The judge asked her what she thought and Nina said she would rather be with her father. Because at least he cared enough about her to have food in the house.

Her mother never forgave her for it and the last time Nina spoke to her was on her sixteenth birthday.

"Not to be a downer… But my mother was never happy in her relationships. Ever. She never truly loved who she was with—I mean maybe she loved my dad at one point but who knows—and because of that she turned into a…" What was the right word?

"Into a what?" Kushina pressed. Her blue eyes were focused on Nina, intently waiting for the answer to all of her problems.

"For lack of a better term?" Nina started, meeting her new friend's eyes. "A cheating bitch."

Kushina stared and said nothing, choosing to sip her tea and avert her eyes.

"I'm not saying that'll be you. But being in loveless relationships destroyed my mother. Don't let the same thing happen to you."

Kushina sighed and rubbed her temples, "you're not the first person to tell me something like that."

Nina reached across the table and grabbed Kushina's hand, "Kushina, there's nothing wrong with wanting to put your happiness first. You guys have been together for over a decade. Don't you want to know what else there is? Have you ever even been with another man?"

Kushina turned her head to the side to hide her blush. "I made out with one other guy when the two of us broke up for like two weeks."

Nina released her hand and let out a giggle, trying her hardest to stifle her laugh. Kushina only looked up at her with fiery eyes and pointed her finger at where Nina was giggling into her drink.

"It's not funny, you know! I've been faithful my whole life and I've been with him for most of my life!" Kushina shouted, once again earning stares from fellow café goers.

"I'm not laughing because it's funny!" Nina tried, taking a swig of her drink to temper her laughter. "I'm laughing because that's sweet and fantastic! It's just funny because you're a total ten and could get anyone you wanted!"

Kushina pouted and crossed her arms, muttering something that Nina couldn't make out. All she could hear was a "you know" thrown in there. As Kushina was grumbling under her breath Nina pulled out her phone to check the time. She really needed to get back to work.

"I gotta get going," Nina said as she stood up.

"I'll walk with you. I could use the fresh air," Kushina said, joining Nina.

Nina shrugged in response. Konoha Enterprises was only a few blocks away and she usually preferred to walk alone, but she could use the company since she barely got the chance to talk to Obito in the morning since he was so busy with Jiraiya back in the building.

"So you think I should call the wedding off?" Kushina asked with a frown.

Nina sighed. She didn't want to be the reason that Kushina's lifelong relationship came to an end. But she could see how miserable Kushina was. She hardly ever said anything positive about her relationship and Nina still didn't even know the guy's name. Surely that was a bad sign for the state of her future marriage. Right?

"Maybe you should try to fix it? It doesn't seem like your heart is in it. It seems like you've already written the poor sap off. So maybe put your best foot forward one last time and then if it doesn't work out, call it off?" Nina suggested. Truthfully, from what Kushina told Nina, Kushina was better off just ending the relationship right then and there. She highly doubted that giving the guy one last chance would work, but at this point what was the harm?

"I guess," Kushina muttered.

Nina could see the Konoha Enterprises skyscraper only half a block away and was surprisingly ready to get back to work. She really liked spending time with Kushina, she did. She just hated how Kushina wanted relationship advice from a girl who had never seen a successful relationship in her life.

"Well how far away is the wedding?" Nina asked, looking over her shoulder to see the redhead deep in thought.

"About ten weeks."

Nina seethed through her teeth. Maybe telling Kushina to keep trying wasn't the best idea with the wedding right around the corner.

"Kushina, maybe you s—"

"You work here?" Kushina asked, cutting Nina off when they reached Konoha Enterprises. Nina looked over her shoulder at the building and then back to Kushina.

"Yeah, why?"

Kushina paused and grabbed the door, holding it open for Nina, following her close behind.

"I knew you said you had an office job, I just didn't know it was _here_."

Nina raised an eyebrow and paused in the lobby on her way to elevator. She said nothing but looked at Kushina expectantly. The yoga instructor was in a skin tight pair of leggings, a loose tank top, and slip on Toms. She didn't necessarily look like she should have been inside Konoha Enterprises… But who was Nina to tell her that?

"My fiancé works here," Kushina muttered under her breath. Nina's mouth began to fall open to ask her who her fiancé was, but Kushina continued before she could start, "I might as well say hello since I'm here." She grumbled under her breath as she headed for the elevator.

Nina hurried behind her, slipping in the elevator and blinked dumbly when Kushina hit the button for the top floor.

Was she engaged to Shikaku? Shikaku was always muttering about how troublesome women were, and he always looked aggravated when he got a phone call from whoever his significant other was.

It made sense the more Nina thought about it. Kushina's engagement ring was a giant rock that sat on her dainty finger, and since Shikaku Nara was the Director of Accounting and Finance, he certainly would be able to afford such a large diamond. He would even be able to afford to cover Kushina's expenses while she taught yoga. And the fact that Kushina hit the top floor all but pretty much confirmed that.

"What floor?" Kushina asked, looking at Nina.

"Top floor," Nina said slowly.

Kushina raised an eyebrow, "are you an admin?"

"Yeah," Nina confirmed.

Kushina's eyes widened and she whistled once and looked at the elevator doors. "Wow, what a small world. You must work with Obito then?"

"Yeah…" Nina muttered. She couldn't believe that here she was, friends with Shikaku's fiancée of all people, telling her to leave him. What if Kushina told Shikaku what she said? What if Shikaku never forgave her? Of all the executive directors in the office, Shikaku was the one Nina liked the most, and the thought of the scarred man being upset with her just broke her heart.

The elevator opened up to the top floor and Nina swallowed hard. If Kushina left Shikaku because of what Nina said, she would never forgive herself.

"Kushina?" It was Obito who broke the silence and Nina placed her purse on the desk beside him and watched as his whole face lit up. He walked out from behind the desk and pulled Kushina in for a great big bear hug.

"Hi Obito!" Kushina said with a giant grin, hugging the young admin just as hard.

Nina blinked and looked between the two of them, completely and utterly dumbfounded. When they broke apart, Obito looked at Nina, still grinning, but raising his eyebrows in confusion as he did.

"You know each other?" Obito asked.

"Yeah, we're friends," Nina said slowly, looking at Kushina. Kushina narrowed her eyes at Nina's sudden awkwardness.

"She started coming to my yoga classes and we really hit it off! This one's a real keeper, Obito!" Kushina said with a grin, linking her arm with Nina's.

"Oh I know that! I just had no idea you two were friends. That's awesome!" Obito was still grinning from ear to ear and so was Kushina. Nina instead felt like she fell into the twilight zone and was just looking around at everyone like they had six heads.

The phone started to ring and Obito quickly asked for them to hang on as he answered it. Kushina took the opportunity to look at Nina closely.

"Are you okay? You're really pale."

"I um… Nothing, I just—"

" _Oh_ ," Kushina said, her blue eyes widening as she seemed to come to a revelation. "They don't know about your other job do they?"

Nina swallowed hard. She needed to undo the damage she did at lunch and do it fast. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she watched Shikaku and Kushina start bickering because she didn't know how to keep her mouth shut.

"No," Nina choked out.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," Kushina promised, squeezing Nina's arm.

When Obito hung up the phone he walked out from behind the desk and leaned on it, obviously very eager to talk to the redhead.

"I've missed you! Where have you been?"

Kushina shrugged in response, "I've been around."

Obito very clearly caught Kushina's tight tone because he looked at Nina for a brief second before looking back at Kushina.

But before he could say anything, the doors opened to show a large group of the executives coming in from lunch. Hiruzen was there, along with Inoichi, Choza, and Shikaku. Nina made eye contact with Shikaku first, wanting to hide from him, but he only nodded at her, not knowing that she was to blame should his engagement come to an abrupt end.

"Why so pale, Dimples?" Shikaku asked. His eyes shifted to Kushina and he gave her a smile and a one armed hug. "Kushina, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Kushina! What's the special occasion?" Hiruzen asked, and all of the men took turns hugging the pretty yoga instructor. Shikaku stood beside Nina with his arms crossed as Kushina looked between all of them.

"Nina and I went out for lunch and I figured I would stop by since she works here!" Kushina explained easily.

"Perfect timing because Jiraiya came back today," Choza said as he let out a yawn.

"Jiraiya? He wasn't supposed to be back until the wedding," Kushina said with a frown. Nina held her breath and tried to find Obito's eyes for some reassurance, but he was so focused on Kushina that she had no one to help anchor her down.

"It's not good. Let's just say that," Shikaku muttered under his breath.

The doors opened again to reveal Jiraiya and Minato, and Minato's blue eyes were on Nina first, and then they hastily shifted to where Kushina was, and then back to Nina, and back to Kushina.

That was the moment everything clicked.

Kushina wasn't Shikaku's fiancée… Shikaku was already married… And the executives all knew Kushina… And Jiraiya, the white haired man that stood out in a crowd who wasn't supposed to be in the area until the wedding…

She wasn't Shikaku's fiancée.

She was _Minato's_ fiancée…

"Kushina, what are you doing…" Minato asked, clearing his throat as he did. Nina noticed the way Minato kept laser like focus on Kushina and the way Jiraiya was looking at Nina with a similar focus.

Nina started to sweat through her shirt.

"Nina and I went out to lunch together and I figured I would stop by since she works here," Kushina explained, wearing a tight smile and closing the gap between her and Minato so she could briefly peck him on the lips.

Why was the room suddenly a hundred degrees?

"You two know each other?" Jiraiya asked after he had hugged the small redhead.

"We became fast friends after she came to a few of my yoga classes. Right, Nina?" Kushina asked.

Nina looked around the circle and everyone's eyes were suddenly on her.

Nina was a stripper. She was used to having everyone's eyes on her under stage lights that felt like torches on her bare skin. So why was it when everyone was looking at her now, she was sweating through the back of her shirt, struggling to find any cool air to breathe in.

"Yeah. We like to get tea together," Nina confirmed, struggling to smile at everyone.

"You do?" Minato deadpanned, looking directly at Nina.

His eyes were too blue and far too focused to be on her. She suddenly wanted to hide behind Shikaku, or behind her desk, or even run to Madara for safety.

"Why do you say it like that?" Kushina asked with a frown. "Am I not allowed to be friends with my students?"

The second the words left Kushina's mouth the directors all nervously looked at each other and started to leave the circle they had formed, muttering about how they each had work they had to get done.

"I'm not saying it like anything. I just think it's a small world," Nina could just barely hear Minato's response as she was getting lightheaded.

She tried to take in a deep breath but her skirt was too fucking tight and she couldn't breathe. The room was a thousand degrees, sweat was soaking the back of her shirt, and why the _fuck_ was she wearing a turtleneck?

Shikaku started to move away and Nina took a step back and stumbled, grabbing onto his arm to keep from falling.

Shikaku immediately stopped and looked from Nina, to where Jiraiya, Obito, Minato, and Kushina stood, and then back to Nina. Obito was starting to shrink back to his desk and Jiraiya only looked at Minato and Kushina with a frown on his face. No one was paying attention to Nina and Shikaku, and she couldn't have been more thankful.

 _Fuck_ she was so hot. She just wanted to rip her clothes off and dunk herself in an ice bath.

"Is it just me or is it hot in here?" Nina asked Shikaku, still gripping onto his sleeve with one hand, while the other rested on her stomach where her diaphragm should have been expanding and contracting to bring air to her lungs.

"You think it's a small world that I'm friends with one of your employees?" Kushina bit back.

Nina could feel Shikaku's hand rest on her back, "Nina, are you okay? You're sweating."

Nina tried to suck in another breath but her stupid skirt was so fucking tight. Why were all of her clothes _so tight?!_

"Mhm. I'm just a little dizzy. I-It's _really_ hot in here," She told him, trying to suck in air. Her breath was getting fast and before she knew what was happening, Shikaku was pulling her away from the reception area and toward the bathrooms.

"You're hyperventilating," Shikaku said, his tone escalating with what Nina hoped was worry and not suspicion.

"It's just _hot_ ," Nina snapped, grateful for Shikaku's steady hand on her back. Otherwise she was sure she would have fallen flat on her face.

"It's seventy-two degrees," Shikaku tried.

"I just—" Nina pulled away from Shikaku and threw the door of the ladies' room open along with the door of the first stall, then fell to her knees and threw up.

* * *

"Well I'm going to go," Kushina hissed. Minato sighed. He couldn't do anything right when it came to her, could he? No matter what the hell he said she would still bite his head off. He could find the cure to cancer and Kushina would _still_ chew him out for it.

"I'll see you tonight," Minato tried. He went to kiss her but she turned her head so he ended up kissing her on the cheek instead.

He pulled away and fought the urge to roll his eyes.

Kushina gave hugs to Obito and Jiraiya before leaving and Minato exhaled heavily. What the fuck had just happened?

Obito awkwardly cleared his throat and when Minato looked at him, he averted his eyes to the computer screen in front of him.

"That bad?" Minato mumbled, still looking at his admin.

Obito looked at him above the rims of his glasses and shrugged, "do you need anything, Boss?"

Minato groaned and shook his head, heading in the direction of his office with Jiraiya hot on his heels.

So Kushina and Nina were friends…

Before Minato could even finish his thought, Shikaku was coming up to him wearing a frown with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I think you should send Nina home for the rest of the day," He said, not missing a beat.

"Why's that?" Jiraiya asked from over Minato's shoulder.

"She's in the bathroom throwing up, and I don't know if you saw out there, but she's white as a ghost."

"Is she okay?" Minato asked. His stomach knotted. He hadn't noticed that she was going pale because he was so focused on the fact that Kushina was there, saying how _she_ was apparently buddies with _his_ admin.

"I don't know. She…" Shikaku paused and rubbed the back of his head. "I think you should send her home," he said, not finishing whatever it was that he had started to say.

"I can check on her," Minato said, about to walk in the direction of the bathrooms, but was stopped when a hand came down to clamp on his shoulder and hold him in place.

"Send her home."

There was no lightheartedness or concern in Jiraiya's voice when he spoke. He was as cold as Danzo when he said it.

Before Minato could say anything else to Shikaku, he could feel Jiraiya pushing him to his office. When they got there Jiraiya forced Minato to sit down in the chair across from his desk and Jiraiya leaned against Minato's desk with his arms crossed, glaring at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Minato asked, feeling a defensive fire in his chest.

"I asked if you were screwing her and you told me you weren't," Jiraiya deadpanned. Minato blinked. They were back to this?

"I'm not screwing any—"

"If you're not screwing her, then why did she look like that when she saw you with Kushina?" Jiraiya demanded.

Minato blinked. He hadn't paid much attention to Nina when he came in because he was having a meltdown over the fact that Kushina said they were friends. He didn't have time to even look at her because Kushina's angry blue eyes had been on him.

"I don't know, Jiraiya. I wasn't looking at her," Minato said, trying not to start yelling at his friend. It was never good when he and Jiraiya got into arguments. Never.

"Well let me summarize for you then. Because she took one look at you and Kushina had started to have a mental breakdown. Jesus Christ, Minato. I leave for a few weeks and all of the sudden you're screwing your new admin? No wonder Kushina is at your throat all the time! She probably knows that you're having an affair!"

Minato couldn't stay calm after that. His blood pressure went through the roof and he didn't give a shit one way or another.

"You really think that I would have an affair?" He shouted, standing up so he could meet Jiraiya head on.

"Well she's drop dead gorgeous, Minato! I wouldn't be surprised!"

"I'm not you! I can keep it in my pants!"

He had hit a nerve and he knew it. Minato was the only person who knew about Jiraiya's last relationship where he had wanted to marry the woman, but had messed around with some random chick he met at a bar. She found out and dropped his ass without a second thought. That was years ago and Jiraiya was still nursing his wounds from it.

"Don't talk to me like that," Jiraiya warned.

"I wouldn't cheat on Kushina. Does she drive me absolutely insane? Of course she does. Do I wish she would stop jumping down my throat every five seconds? Yes. But I wouldn't cheat on her—even if it means I'll be stuck in a loveless marriage."

The second part had slipped out of Minato's mouth without his permission and as soon as the words were off his tongue he was wishing he could take them all back.

"Loveless marriage?" Jiraiya repeated.

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose and fell back into the chair, "I know she doesn't love me, Jiraiya. I've known for a long time."

Jiraiya said nothing and Minato looked at the floor.

What were the chances that Kushina and Nina would be friends? And if they were friends, why didn't Kushina tell Nina that he was her fiancé? He could tell that Nina was just as shocked to find out that he and Kushina were together, as he was to find out they were friends. If Kushina couldn't even tell her friend about him, how were they supposed to get married?

"You need to figure out what's going on with you and Kushina. I know you, Minato. You're faithful to a point. But if you feel like she's giving up on you then…"

Minato looked down at the floor. He remembered sitting in his car with Nina. He remembered how badly he wanted to kiss her. He remembered making the decision that he was going to. He remembered cupping her cheek to bring her closer to him…

He didn't kiss her. But he was going to.

Even after he had gone home to Kushina and talked to her, he laid in bed thinking of how easy it would have been to kiss the dark haired girl. He regretted the fact that he let his eyes catch her father outside her apartment in that moment because he had missed the opportunity.

He hadn't done anything with Nina yet. But Jiraiya was right.

He wanted to. He wanted to really badly…

* * *

IN MY DEFENSE OF BEING A PIECE OF SHIT WHO DID NOT UDPATE THE LAST 15 WEEKS... It was a long, rough, **terrible** semester.

Don't major in accounting and taxation kids...

Is anyone even still here reading this story?


	13. Chapter 13

2 super quick things before you read this chapter!

1: It skips around a lot. Sorry about that. I had to really move the plot along.

2: Mature themes ahead. And I don't just mean the usual cursing. Ya'll have been warned.

* * *

"She's back!" Ay said with a grin on his face when Nina entered the familiar club. Nina smiled at the bartender and walked over to him, bumping fists when she got there.

"I can barely see your black eye," Ay said, squinting his eyes against the dark lighting of the club.

"That's the whole point," Nina remarked. She looked around the club to see who all was there. Tsunade was going to be running the front of the house and Nina would be both dancing and acting as House Mom in the back to keep the girls from fighting with each other and from destroying the back.

Being back at Mangekyo was like a breath of fresh air where she didn't have to deal with her boss who tried to kiss her when he apparently was engaged to one of her friends. No Konoha Enterprises CEOs here. No redheaded yoga instructor.

It was just the usual workers, dancers, and scumbags who came in.

"What's good, Katia?" Bee asked, patting her on her back.

It had felt like years since she was referred to by her stage name, when in reality it was only a week or two. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. There was a time where she once preferred the security of her stage name and alter ego, but now she wasn't sure if she wanted to be Katia again or just stay Nina.

"House Mom tonight?" Bee asked, pointing to her skin tight black dress. When she worked as House Mom, she usually had to wear a dress or skirt of some sort since she would be in the front of the house throughout the shift. Nina settled for a long sleeved, short as all hell, black dress. It was tight enough to be a second skin and always earned her stares when she was walking into the club, but she was used to the looks from people.

"Dancing too," Nina responded, pulling down her dress to cover more of her thighs.

"Good. Your clients have been a pain in the ass asking for you," Bee informed, leaning against the bar and nodding at his brother.

"Of course they have," Nina muttered.

She looked around the club and felt the cool air against her skin. It was a welcome change to the overwhelming heat she had felt only hours ago at Konoha. She had started hyperventilating, sweating, and before she knew it, she was on her knees puking her guts up.

She supposed she deserved it. And when she closed her eyes all she saw Kushina kissing Minato and she wanted to throw up all over again.

It was karma for having let herself get so close to him.

Shikaku had waited outside the bathroom for her and when she finally did come out, he told her that Minato gave her permission to go home early. Nina thanked him but declined the offer and asked him not to tell anyone about what had happened. He only gave her a pitying smile and said sure.

Obito had drilled her with questions when she got back. How did she know Kushina? Did Kushina ever talk about not wanting to get married? Why do you think she was snapping at Minato? Everything you could have imagined.

Nina told him that she didn't even know Kushina was engaged to Minato. Obito deflated at that and they spent the rest of the day working in relative silence. Minato hadn't come out of his office once that afternoon, and when she left, he had been in a meeting with Danzo.

She no longer felt sick to her stomach, but she still felt like she was in the twilight zone.

"Katia, can you come here," Tsunade called out by the main stage of the club. Nina moved from where she leaned against the bar with Ay and Bee, and walked over to Tsunade.

"Yeah?" Nina asked.

"How's your eye?" Tsunade asked, brushing her hair back and crossing her arms.

"Fine. Can't even tell it's bruised," Nina responded with a forced grin. She doubted Tsunade bought it, but the blonde woman didn't question her.

"I wanted to ask you if you've talked to Madara at all. He's been weird lately."

Nina raised an eyebrow. Since when did Tsunade come to Nina about Madara? Normally the blonde woman couldn't give a shit about what was going on in Madara-land, but there was an urgency in her tone that made Nina nervous.

"No. He just told me that he's going to need help running the club for a little bit."

Tsunade huffed, "something is going on with him and I plan to find out."

Nina could feel the corner of her lips pull downward. She had enough shit on her plate as it was. The last thing she needed was to worry about Madara Uchiha.

"If anyone can take care of himself it's Madara," Nina tried.

"I know but…" Tsunade finally looked Nina in the eyes and stopped mid sentence. "When did you get so old, Kid?" She muttered, ruffling Nina's dark hair and looking closely at her face.

"Are you feeling all right?" Nina asked, shifting uncomfortably from leg to leg _. That was weird…_

Tsunade took another long look at Nina and let her hand fall to her side with a sigh, "Yeah. Just go get ready."

That was all Nina needed to hear for her to go into the back and change.

She didn't need to be involved with Tsunade and Madara's shit. No. Not at all.

* * *

"Tobirama, be reasonable," Jiraiya tried. Minato's office was occupied with himself, Jiraiya, and Danzo as they all sat in on a conference call with the Senju brothers.

"I am being reasonable," Tobirama deadpanned.

Minato and Jiraiya exchanged a look. Minato could just imagine that perpetually livid look on the younger Senju's face. He was probably scowling at the phone with his arms crossed, imagining ways to murder them all for putting his company in such a position.

"It's not that we don't trust you, Minato—" Hashirama's words were cut off by a 'hmph' that belonged to Tobirama and Minato hung his head in shame. "But these are very serious allegations. I think it would be best if the board met to discuss this all right away."

"I couldn't agree more," Danzo said, wearing a smile that made Minato want to bash his skull into a glass table.

"You're not off the hook either, Danzo," Tobirama warned. His voice was low and menacing, and even Danzo had the decency to shiver at the words. "How you, the Chief Legal Counsel, could let this happen is a disgrace. I would have given the position to Saru if I knew you were going to suggest we let this go through… Replacing the entire executive board… I should fire you right now!" Tobirama snapped on the other line.

Minato and Jiraiya both cringed, both because of the harshness in Tobirama's words, and because of the fact that he rubbed the Hiruzen thing in Danzo's face. Hiruzen was always a favorite of the Senju's, evident how they always affectionately called him 'Saru' despite his old age. And Tobirama knew about Danzo's dislike of Hiruzen and the rivalry there. But Tobirama didn't care who he upset when it came to the state of Konoha Enterprises. He was as ruthless as they came.

It certainly was why most people preferred to communicate with Hashirama instead.

"Tobirama, enough," Hashirama said with a sigh.

"Is there anything we can do to change your mind?" Minato asked, squeezing his hands together on his desk.

"It's already been decided. The meeting will be moved up," Hashirama stated, leaving no room for further arguments.

"Danzo. Minato. If I were you, I would get my things in order should this not turn out in your favor," Tobirama warned moments before the line went dead.

Minato put his hands to his face and tried to temper the anxiety and anger that bloomed in his stomach. He was the youngest CEO in Konoha Enterprises history and he was about to lose his job, all because of Danzo's inability to do his own fucking job.

But when he removed his hands, he was shocked to see that Danzo didn't even look remotely concerned. He was staring at his fingernails nonchalantly and even had the nerve to yawn.

"Hear that Minato?" Danzo said. A smile bloomed across his face and he stood up, grabbing his things. "Get your things in order. There's going to be a new CEO in town."

He walked out of the office and Minato only stared at where the bandaged man was once sitting. He then turned to Jiraiya and said, "I hate him."

Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head, "Most people do."

"He wouldn't even have this job if he didn't know Tobirama and Hiruzen," Minato snapped. He wanted to punch something.

"He's a scumbag. That's why he's such a good lawyer."

Minato turned his head to look out of the window behind him. It was already dark and Kushina would already be home, probably thinking of ways she could tear him a new one just for existing.

"Is he that great though if he's suggesting we pay them that much money and replace our executive board? Because that's a hostile takeover and that's what he should be trying to _protect_ _us from_ ," Minato groaned.

"I hear you. You need to go home, take a hot shower, drink something, and then go to bed—preferably with your fiancée."

Minato was already trying to recall if he had vodka at the house. He had some at the office. He contemplated opening it right then and there but knew that Jiraiya would just scold him for it.

"I haven't slept in my bed in weeks," Minato muttered casually, staring at the dust specks that had settled on his desk.

"Well tonight is going to be the first night in weeks that you will, yeah?" Jiraiya tried, patting Minato on his back.

Minato's eyes never strayed from the dust specks.

"Yeah."

* * *

Minato's shoulder was hurting him and all he wanted was vodka and a massage. But instead all he knew was going to get an angry redhead who was going to bitch at him for coming home late and for letting his work affect him so much.

He unlocked the door of his condo and shut it behind him, already loosening his tie and wanting to be drunk.

He was going to lose his job. He was going to lose his fucking job and there was nothing he could do about it.

The tie hung on either side of Minato's neck and he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt as he simultaneously slipped his suit jacket off. He draped it over the side of the couch, even though he knew Kushina hated when he did that and kicked his shoes off by the door.

"Minato?" Kushina's voice came from down the hall and dread formed in his gut. Here came the nightly bitching.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had a conference call with the Senju's and I'm just really fucking exhaus—" His words were cut off by Kushina walking up to him and grabbing him by his undone collar and kissing him hard on the mouth.

Her lips were soft and she tasted like peppermint tea. But before Minato could wrap his mind around what was going on, she pulled back. She still held his collar, and she still stood pressed against his chest, but she wasn't looking at his face, as she was preoccupied with unbuttoning the rest of his shirt.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his breath getting caught in his chest.

What _was_ she doing? She hadn't kissed him like that since they last slept in the same bed, and it was so unlike her to _not_ bite his head off the moment he walked through the door. Especially because he just left his shoes by the door and jacket on the sofa.

"What? I can't kiss my fiancé when he comes home?" She asked, untucking his shirt when it was completely unbuttoned. He raised an eyebrow and looked around the room to see if he was on some hidden camera TV show, because in all seriousness. _What the hell_ was going on right now?

"But you're not kissing me. You're undressing me for some reas—" She stood up on her toes and kissed him again, just as hard as last time.

Not really knowing what else to do, Minato played along and let his eyes flutter close. He snaked one arm around her waist and put the other against the back of her head, pulling her closer.

Hell, when was the last time he touched her like that?

Her lips moved against his, deepening the kiss. He was vaguely aware that she was trying to push his shirt off him, and he pulled it off when he noticed her struggling.

Kushina pulled away, stepping over his discarded shirt and pushing him down so he was now sitting on the sofa. It was then that he finally noticed what she was wearing. All she had on was a black lace slip that was pretty much completely see through with her hair left down, carefully covering her chest.

"Kushina—"

"Stop talking," She said, climbing on top of him and straddling his hips.

She was kissing him again, but this time rougher, biting down on his bottom lip the way she knew drove him insane. He groaned and roughly pulled her against him, devouring her mouth with his, and eliciting a moan from her when he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

He kept his eyes closed, pulling her against him and groaning when she grinded her hips into him. She tasted sweet like peppermint tea and smelled like flowers, something that they both knew he supposedly loved.

And he thought he did love it when she smelled like flowers, at least he was supposed to anyway. But he found himself yearning for the smell of warm desert spices, and wished that he felt hot all over the way he did the other day when he drove Nina home.

He could see her behind closed eyes. He imagined it was her in his lap, and pictured the way that she would smell like vanilla and chai, and imagined what it would be like to kiss her. He kept his eyes closed and moved to Kushina's neck, kissing her skin there. The flowery aroma filled his senses again, reminding him that this was _not_ Nina, but rather it was Kushina instead. It only made him more frustrated, and he wished that Kushina had worn a different type of perfume. So he instead distracted himself by aggressively kissing her neck, knowing full well that he would leave a bruise there. If he tried hard enough, he couldn't smell the flowery aroma, and he was able to imagine that it was Nina he was leaving marks on instead.

 _Fuck_. He wanted her so badly. No amount of vodka in the world could change just how badly he wanted the woman in his lap to be Nina. No amount of cold showers could make him regret the fact that he was fantasizing about a woman with a birdlike frame and jet black hair grinding into him rather than his own fiancée. He just didn't care anymore because he wanted her so badly.

"Stop, you know I hate it when you leave marks," Kushina's voice broke his daze, and Minato kept his eyes squeezed shut and brought her lips to his. He couldn't open his eyes. If he did he would see red hair and blue eyes instead of black hair and brown eyes, and he didn't think he was ready to let go of his fantasy just yet.

He could feel Kushina's fingers undo his belt and pants, slipping past the band of his boxer briefs, and wrapping around him.

A sigh got caught in his throat and he squeezed Kushina's waist.

Kushina was small. She always had been. But Nina was smaller, and had a frame so petite that she reminded him of a bird. He could only imagine what it would have felt like to squeeze her waist instead and hold her body against his as she touched him.

He could feel Kushina pulling down his pants and boxer briefs, and slowly lowering herself onto him.

His head rocked back against the cushions as Kushina grinded into him with slow, steady movements.

His kept his eyes closed as his hands were firm on her waist. The only noises were their mixed breathing, and with the relative silence, it was easy to stay in his fantasy.

Pretending that Kushina was the dark haired admin made every movement feel absolutely mind blowing. He only wished that it was real so he could open his eyes and really look at Nina. God, what he wouldn't give to spend just one night with her. He would have held her against him the whole time, left marks of purple and blue on her neck, her chest, her thighs— _anywhere_ he could have gotten to kiss and touch. He would have made her look at him as she groaned. He would have kissed her and swallowed every moan she made, and would have made love to her until she couldn't walk.

He kept his eyes shut and let his head rest against the cushions as Kushina began to bounce on him quicker and quicker, with a new frenzied rhythm.

He pictured what Nina's face might have looked like when she finished, whether or not her chest would have been flushed red, whether or not she would have thrown her head back as she did, whether or not her thighs would be quaking.

He pictured her arching her back into him as she finished, and his breath hitched in his chest.

It had less to do with Kushina and more to do with the image in his mind that made him finish, and he straightened up to bury his face in the crook of her neck once more as he rode out his ecstasy. He could feel Kushina pulling hard on his hair and he sighed deeply into her neck, feeling his stomach twist when he inhaled the scent of flowers and not the scent of warm spices.

When the moment ended he pulled back and looked up to see Kushina's dark blue eyes and red hair framing her face.

His heart sank, both from disappointment and from shame.

"Feel better?" She asked with a familiar laugh.

"…Yeah," He said, his voice hoarse.

She got off him and headed in the direction of the bathroom to clean herself up, and left him sitting there on the couch with his hand over his face, looking down at the floor. He didn't think it was humanly possible for his heart to sink anymore than it did the moment he opened his eyes, but somehow he managed it.

He should have just opted to find relief in vodka instead of sex…

* * *

Nina's head was pounding as she went through the nightly duties of locking up Mangekyo. She was the last one there, as Tsunade had to leave around midnight for who knows what reason, and Nina tried to go through the procedures as quickly as humanly possible. It wasn't that she was scared being alone. She had been living alone and walking around the city alone for most of her life. But there was something about being the only person in the dark club that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

She just hated how silent the place was.

Counting the money in the register one last time, Nina closed it up and headed to the front door, switching off the lights and stepping outside. The cool air nipped at her skin and made her legs ripple with gooseflesh. She should have brought a sweatshirt as it was that time of year where the nights were always chilly.

Hindsight was always 20/20.

After locking the door to the club, Nina slung her tote over her shoulder and crossed her arms with the key positioned between her knuckles should some drunken asshole try to jump her or something.

It was about 3:45 in the morning and she had to be at Konoha early. She had missed the money from Mangekyo, but now regretted coming back because of the sleep deprivation she would be putting her body through once again.

As Nina rounded the corner to get on the main street, she passed by a bar where she could see someone leave out of her peripherals. Her knuckles squeezed against the key even tighter and she quickened her pace.

Why the hell couldn't the buses run past midnight?

"Nina?"

Nina looked over her shoulder to see Fugaku looking at her, squinting his eyes against the dim street light to discern if it was really her in the distance.

Relief flooded Nina's veins and she came to a slow stop and relaxed her knuckles, "Hey, Fugaku. Closing tonight?"

He nodded with a long sigh, and walked over to her. When he closed the gap between them, Nina resumed walking and they fell in step next to each other.

"Look at you," Fugaku said, stepping a bit to the side to get a better look at her. She was in her black dress again and playfully rolled her eyes when he jokingly wolf whistled at her. "The hell are you wearing that for at almost 4am?"

Nina craned her neck to the side to give him a wink, "I'm Catwoman."

Fugaku let out a laugh that made Nina think of Madara when she caught him laughing once in a blue moon, and found her heart warming at the familiarity. "Catwoman wears a leather suit. You're just in a skin tight dress."

Nina laughed in response and shrugged, "promise not to judge?"

"Oh I am already judging you," Fugaku responded, nudging her with his elbow. Nina squeaked when his elbow connected with her ribs, and she swatted him away, sending him a glower at the fact he discovered she was ticklish.

"I work at Mangekyo Strip Club," she admitted. She highly doubted that Fugaku would care, as he was a bartender in the city and came from Naka of all places. If something like a strip club bothered him, he would have chosen a different form of employment.

"Oh yeah? You a dancer?" He asked, his interest piqued.

"Yeah. I help manage the house once in a while too. Hence the dress. Otherwise I would be in jeans right now," She told him, letting out a yawn as she did. Damn she really was going to be exhausted at work.

"Interesting. I thought you worked in an office," He asked, probably referring to Kakashi's promotion party.

"I'm an admin by day and a stripper by night," She offered him a smile that she knew made her dimples stand out prominently. She knew they worked their magic on Fugaku, as he averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well with that double life you must be more like Catwoman than I thought," He commented, still accompanying her on her walk back to The Valley.

"You know, if I could do that purring thing with my tongue I would, but I can't," Nina said, immediately trying to make the purring sound and instead having it come out as a weird jumbled slur.

Fugaku burst into laughter and patted her on the back, "you tried."

Nina gave him a soft smile and without her permission, her mind shifted back to that moment where Kushina kissed Minato on the lips and Nina suddenly felt lonely and small and so… So _stupid_.

"Hey um," Nina cleared her throat and tried to get Fugaku to meet her eyes. He did and his eyebrows raised in response. "We should, um…"

She imagined Minato leaning in to kiss her. She imagined Kushina confiding in her.

"Yeah?" Fugaku asked when she stopped.

"We should get drinks some time," Nina suggested, feeling her face heat up as the words left her mouth.

If Fugaku was surprised, he didn't show it. He only gave Nina a smile that was lopsided in response before saying, "I'd like that."

Nina fished her phone out of her pocket and handed it to him, "well then you can text me and let me know what day works for you."

Fugaku took her phone, letting his fingers brush against hers before saying, "will do."

He put in his number and handed back the phone. Nina bit down on the inside of her cheek. This was a good thing. Spending time with somebody else would help her stop thinking about Minato so much. She had spent too much time thinking about him— _about her friend's fiancé_. She just needed to go out for drinks with another man, and then poof! All of her Minato related problems would disappear and she wouldn't be stuck thinking about him every second of the day. It was a miracle that she was even able to think about him at all with how thin she stretched herself when it came to work and when it came to her father's plethora of problems. But somehow her boss would always come back to haunt her.

"You gonna walk all the way back to The Valley?" Fugaku asked.

"You gonna walk all the way back to Naka?" She retorted, giving him a smirk that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Fugaku chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets, "fair enough."

It was almost 4:30 by the time Nina got home. She didn't feel as exhausted as she should have though, and she didn't know if she should have been worried or not.

When she got inside she saw her father passed out on the couch with the bottle of Jack almost empty on the coffee table. She sighed and grabbed the throw blanket that was folded up on the arm of the sofa and draped it over her father's tiny frame.

She took after him in everything but the eyes. Her eyes were her mother's almost exactly, being dark and intense. But everything else about her came directly from her father. The dimples, the dark hair, the petite and elfish frame…

He snored and shifted lightly in his sleep and Nina walked to her room as quietly as possible, closing the door and locking herself in.

Was there even a point in falling asleep when she would have to be up in about three hours?

She went through her nightly routine of taking off her makeup, changing into an oversized t-shirt and boy shorts for bed, and crawled under her sheets, pulling out her phone.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion when she saw she had gotten a few texts from Kushina between the hours of midnight and 3am. She must have missed them when she was working and closing for the night.

' _Sorry about earlier at work! I swear I_ _'_ _m not always so irritable!_ _'_

' _We_ _'_ _re gonna have to meet soon. I had no idea you were Minato_ _'_ _s other admin!_ _'_

' _Oh you_ _'_ _re probably working! Text me in the morning! I_ _'_ _ve got some good news!_ _'_

Nina's stomach churned. She didn't want to know what good news meant. She had a horrible feeling that it was going to be Kushina telling her she ended her relationship with Minato and was a free woman again.

But at the same time, maybe there was a chance it was the other way around and maybe they hashed things out.

Both options made her equally as sick.

Just as Nina was about to put her phone on her nightstand she got another text, but this time it wasn't from Kushina.

' _Hope you got home safe. Night Catwoman_ _'_

Any tension that had settled in her shoulders immediately dissipated when she read over Fugaku's message. She bit on her bottom lip and let out a breathy laugh.

' _Safe! If I_ _'_ _m Catwoman, does that make you Batman?_ _'_

A minute went by before her phone lit up with another text from Fugaku.

' _Only if you want me to be_ _'_

She shook her head, still laughing softly and shut her light off and rested her head on the pillow. Maybe this was a good thing. Fugaku wasn't engaged to one of her friends… At least she hoped not.

Yeah… This was a good thing.

Right?

* * *

Madara kept his arms crossed and continued to scowl at Danzo. The bandaged man was wearing a nasty smirk that made Madara want to reach out and snap his neck.

"The Senju's will be here at the end of next week. It's all coming together," Danzo explained. He sipped on a mixed cocktail and reclined against the booth they sat in. Madara didn't drink anything. He refused to let himself get comfortable around this jackass.

"Hashirama is not going to fall for this," Madara muttered. He looked at the papers in front of him. Danzo may have been a disgusting waste of space, but he was slick. Madara could at least give him that.

He had worked with the CEO of The Akatsuki Group, a man named Nagato, and worked out a deal to frame Konoha Enterprises. Danzo had hired a thug to pick up the trade secret from one of Nagato's employees and plant it in Konoha Enterprises. Danzo knew full well the scandal would result in concern amongst the shareholders and he could proceed with a hostile takeover.

"He already has. They've moved the Board of Directors meeting," Danzo remarked.

Madara couldn't believe for a second that Hashirama Senju would have fallen for Danzo's scheme.

"I don't understand why you're so against this. You helped build the damn business," Danzo tacked on.

Madara's shoulders tensed. It was still a touchy subject.

"And you're willing to risk all of this on some thug?" Madara said, meeting Danzo's stare. Should it be discovered that this whole thing rested on a thug that Danzo hired, then Danzo would be fired and probably put in prison and be sued for every penny he was worth.

"He's going to be taken care of," Danzo said with a chuckle.

Madara frowned. He knew damn well that 'taken care of' didn't mean prison.

"I can't do this without you. You know Hashirama and you know the company. When this goes through I'm going to need your support."

"You mean you're going to need my money," Madara deadpanned.

Danzo scoffed and waved his hand, "you're an entrepreneur. You have to spend money to make money."

"Oh so you now consider Mangekyo a business? What was the word you used to describe it before?" Madara hissed, staring Danzo down. "Oh that's right. You called it a cesspool."

Danzo might have shivered, but Madara couldn't see in the dimness of the club they were in.

"You should be a shareholder or on the board for Konoha Enterprises, and instead all you are is a strip club owner. Doesn't that bother you?"

Madara rolled his eyes. Sure. Mangekyo was a strip club. And sure, most of the clientele were a bunch of scumbags. But he had one hell of a thriving business and he was proud of it, even though he would never say it out loud.

"Enough," Madara snapped. "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

"Well you've done a great job the past few quarters. I think the least of your concerns are the finances of the company. If the board is just looking at that, then you've got them in your back pocket," Shikaku said, trying to assure Minato that everything was going to be fine.

Minato pushed his bangs out of his face and huffed.

"I've got faith in you. Everything is going to be just fine. And this is a good thing," Shikaku stood up, grabbing his binder as he did. "The meeting won't be so close to your wedding now."

Minato must have cringed or done something to visibly show his distress, as Shikaku was raising his eyebrow at him expectantly.

"Still trouble in paradise?"

' _Oh no. No trouble at all. Kushina still wants to rip me apart if I look at her the wrong way and I_ _'_ _ve resorted to fantasizing about another woman during sex_ _—_ _a woman who happens to be my fiancée_ _'_ _s friend. But nope. Everything is great._ _'_ Minato thought bitterly to himself.

"Not at all," Minato said with a tight smile.

Shikaku smirked, "you know… Marriage isn't easy. It's a pain from the minute you say 'I do' and every moment after. And if you're already having trouble now, what makes you think officially saying your vows will make anything better?"

Minato let his eyes flicker to where Shikaku's wedding band was on his finger.

"Yoshino is troublesome and high strung, but I love her anyway. Sure, we argued a little bit before the wedding, but not to the degree you and Kushina do. Maybe it would be a good idea to put everything on hold for a little bit," Shikaku managed to look nonchalant as he said it, but Minato knew better than to fall for it. He knew the severity of what his friend was implying.

"You think I should postpone the wedding?" Minato repeated. He narrowed his eyes as he spoke. He half expected to hear some punch line.

"Take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm just trying to give you word of advice from a married man. And saying 'I do' isn't going to fix all of yours and Kushina's problems. It might actually make them worse."

The thought of things getting worse with Kushina made Minato want to jump out of the window from the top floor of the building. He didn't think it could get any worse, but who the hell knew at this point?

"She'd never forgive me," Minato said so softly that he wasn't sure if he was talking to Shikaku or himself.

"And you'd never forgive yourself if you two got married and it all fell apart," Shikaku said with a shrug. He headed for the door and looked over his shoulder, "I'll be around if you need anything."

Minato looked down at his desk. His day was surprisingly quiet considering his impending doom. He knew it was the calm before the storm, as the only thing he had on his schedule for the day was a conference call with the Senju's to go over everything that had to be done and ready for when they arrived on Thursday.

He would need Obito to be there to take notes for him.

He picked up his phone and waited for Obito to answer.

"Need more coffee, Boss?" Obito asked. Minato held back a chuckle. He had gone through three cups and it was just past 9.

"No, Obito. Are you free at 2?" He asked, flicking a pen on his desk.

"Um," He could hear Obito's fingers tap on his keyboard and waited for the response.

"No. Jiraiya's got me in a meeting from noon to 3. He wants me to go over everything on his schedule with him, and he needs me to take notes for his meeting with all of the directors. I gotta miss lunch for this crap," Obito grumbled. Minato's lips pulled down into a frown. Jiraiya was lucky he had an admin to torment, as the CFO was never responsible with his schedule and would always work Obito like a dog.

In fact, part of the reason Minato hired a second admin was because Jiraiya kept Obito absurdly busy for most of the day.

"Damn. I need notes taken for my call with the Senju's," He said, thinking out loud.

"Well Nina's around," Obito suggested.

Minato's heart skipped. He didn't think he could look at her after what happened last night. He would be too embarrassed.

"No that's okay, she's never taken notes before and I need these to be—"

"I've got a template that she can use. It's totally fool proof, Boss."

Minato pressed his lips into a thin line. He needed the notes because he would have been bound to forget something. And there was no way he could have taken them himself because he had to be on his A-game for the whole meeting or else Tobirama would rip him apart in a way that would have made Kushina proud.

"I guess that's fine. But can you just go over it with her? I want to make sure she's comfortable with it."

"Yep, I'll do it when she comes in."

Minato's eyebrows furrowed. When she comes in?

"She's not here yet?" He asked.

Obito made a choking noise, probably regretting his choice of words and letting it slip that his fellow coworker was late.

"N-no. I've tried calling her but her phone's dead. I'm sure she'll be here soon! She's on time every other day!"

Minato frowned. Was she back at Mangekyo? Her black eye had been healing pretty well and yesterday he couldn't even see it because of her makeup. What if she went back to the strip club and got mugged coming home or something?

His heart pounded hard in chest. What if she was hurt? What if—

"Oh here she comes! I think she just overslept."

"All right good," Minato said, hanging up the phone. He rubbed his temples and ignored the buzzing that came from his phone. It was probably Kushina texting him, but he didn't have the strength to check.

He instead contemplated what Shikaku suggested about postponing the wedding.

* * *

"You look like you overslept," Obito said with a laugh. Nina pouted at him, knowing full well that there were bags under her eyes.

She had completely slept through her alarm, and if it wasn't for her dad making a ruckus as he cooked breakfast for himself, she probably would have slept the whole day. It was how she used to live her life after all. Work all night, sleep all day.

"I didn't even hear my alarm," She told him as he pushed her hair over her shoulder and settled down at her desk.

"Well if it's any consolation, you look really nice," Obito said with a grin and his eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

Nina looked down at her outfit. Because she woke up late she had to throw on the first business appropriate thing in her closet. Most days she wore pencil skirts and blouses, but today she opted for a navy blue dress. It had short sleeves and stopped mid-thigh, although it had a tendency to ride up, and it was pretty form fitted, though not to the extent it would be deemed inappropriate. Plus, she didn't even have heels on because it would have made it too hard to run to the bus in the morning, so she instead wore flats.

"Thanks, Obito," She said with a smile.

"Although you're way shorter than I thought," he tacked on with a wicked smirk.

Nina gaped at him, "I am not!"

"How tall are you?" Obito asked with snicker.

"I'm 5'4!"

Obito burst into laughter, holding his stomach as he did. Nina crossed her arms and pouted at him. This was why she always wore heels.

"The hell you are! What are you really? 5'2?" Obito teased, poking her in the ribs. She squeaked and swatted at him the way she did to Fugaku last night.

"I'm 5'4!" Nina tried again, her cheeks heating up. She was actually much closer to 5'3 than she ever was to 5'4, but she always said 5'4, because when she wore heels you would never know. And at Mangekyo she wore 6-inch stilettos, so it was easy to fudge her height a little bit. Strippers were supposed to be long and tall after all.

Obito continued to laugh at her when Genma and Shikaku approached the desk. Genma looked at the two of them in confusion before opening his mouth.

"Did we miss something?" He asked, giving Shikaku and side glance.

"Nina's trying to tell me she's 5'4 and I think she's a dirty liar," Obito said, still giggling. Nina scoffed and flicked him in the ear. He hardly reacted at all though, as he was so focused on telling everyone how short she was.

"5'4? I thought you were a little taller than that," Genma said.

"That's because she wears high heels every day," Shikaku put his hands in his pockets and nodded once at Nina. "You don't have them on today, do you?"

Nina groaned and stood up, walking out from behind the desk.

Genma and Shikaku both cocked their heads to the side and Obito stood next to her, as if to demonstrate his point.

"You are not 5'4," Shikaku deadpanned, though he smirked a bit at her.

Nina's mouth dropped and she went to protest but was cut off by Genma saying, "aw she's so cute! She's like a little fairy!"

"Genma!" Nina squeaked. She lightly smacked him in the arm and he only laughed at the pathetic little attempt.

"Aw it's okay, Dimples. If this job doesn't work out, you could always go work kids' parties and be the sugar plum fairy or something."

Nina stared at him in disbelief and looked to Shikaku and Obito for help. But the two of them were just looking on and snickering under their breaths. She was never going to wear flats to work ever again.

"You sure clean up nice though," Genma said as he looked her up and down. She rolled her eyes. She would never wear a dress to work ever again either.

"I wear this kind of stuff to work every day," She retorted.

Genma said something under his breath that Nina ignored. He was the one salesman she really liked, so she didn't want to hear his perverted comments and ruin that.

Still standing in front of the desk with her, Obito wrapped his arm around Nina and wore a big, cheesy grin on his face.

"You're small enough to be my little sister," he teased.

"I'm older than you!" Nina said back.

They all continued to laugh and tease her about her height, now knowing that it was clearly a very sensitive topic for her. But even though they poked fun at her, it really didn't bother Nina all that much. She actually appreciated it, because it made her feel less and less like the new girl.

In the midst of all the teasing though, Minato walked out to the front, holding his phone in his hand. He came to an abrupt stop and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at everyone being at the reception desk all laughing.

"What's going on here?" Minato asked, looking at everyone _except_ her.

"Nina's got a Napoleon complex," Shikaku said. He wore an amused expression at her, probably thinking that she looked like a ten-year-old with the way she was pouting.

"I do not!" Nina argued. Seriously, she would never wear flats to work ever again.

"How tall are you, Minato?" Genma asked as he leaned his elbow on the desk behind them. He chewed on that toothpick and winked once at Nina before looking back at Minato. Nina only looked at him in confusion, not getting why he was winking at her…

"6'2. Why?" Minato responded. Nina could tell how hard he was trying to avoid looking at her by the laser focus he kept on Genma when he spoke.

"Well Dimples here thinks she's 5'4, and I don't know what ruler she's using, but I think she's full of shit," Genma nudged her in the ribs and Nina held back a squeak. If there was one person she worked with that she didn't want knowing she was ticklish, it was Genma without a doubt. The cocky salesman would have used it to torment her all the time if he knew.

Nina rolled her eyes at Genma but watched as Minato finally looked at her. She noticed the way his eyes, quicker than anyone could have caught, looked her up and down before settling on her face.

"You're not 5'4," he told her, giving her a side smirk that made her head spin.

"See!" Obito called out.

"Yes I am!"

"Go stand there next to Minato and tell me again that you're 5'4. Because I'm willing to bet money on him being almost a foot taller than you," Genma said as he jerked his head in Minato's direction.

So that was why he asked for Minato's height…

Nina remembered back to Kakashi's promotion party and the way Genma had caught her looking at her boss. He teased her and pushed her in his direction, and even though Nina had been mortified, Genma had clearly been pleased with himself.

His words echoed in the back of her head.

" _You know, not for nothing_ _…_ _I hope one day I can find myself a girl who looks at me the way you look at Minato._ _"_

"Genma," Nina started but Obito had cut her off.

"Yeah, Genma's right!" Obito said. He put his hand on Nina's back and pushed her towards Minato.

Nina's swallowed hard and noticed the way Minato almost immediately shoved his hands in his pockets beside her and tensed when her arm brushed his.

She avoided looking at him, though that did nothing to help her relax because the smell of his cologne filled her sense and suddenly she was thinking about being in the car with him and him going to kiss her.

"You're definitely like 5'2," Genma said, his eyes shifting between Nina and their boss.

All Nina could do was bite her lip. Even Minato was silent beside her.

"Yeah, Mr. Namikaze is pretty much exactly a foot taller than you." Obito agreed.

Nina wanted to argue with them and say she was 5'4, but she knew that if she did, all Genma would do is probably make her stand back to back with Minato, and she refused to subject herself to that.

Nina's eyes shifted to Shikaku where he was silently observing them.

There was something about the way he looked at people when he did that that made Nina's skin tingle. It was like he was always 12 steps ahead of everyone around him, and always knew what was going on behind closed doors. And the way he was observing Nina beside Minato made her stomach flip.

She moved away from Minato and threw herself back in her chair.

"You guys are jerks," She muttered.

"Aw, I'm sorry," Genma said, though he snickered as he said it. Nina pursed her lips and ignored them all, choosing to pay attention to her computer instead.

"Did you need something?" Obito asked, after his laughter died down. She heard Shikaku and Genma ask for binders, and held in a giggle when Obito started yelling at them about how they had to stop stealing his binders. He always got so triggered when it came to them that Nina could understand why everyone found it hysterical.

"What about you, Boss? Need something?"

Nina looked up from her computer and watched as Minato shook his head.

"No, I was just going to walk downstairs to maybe grab something to eat and stretch my legs," He explained. He looked at Obito when he said it, but when he started to walk towards the door, his eyes met Nina's for a fraction of a second and suddenly she was back to square one.

She couldn't think about her father, or about work, or about Fugaku. Because all she could think about was how she had gotten so close to kissing Minato and how badly she wished she actually had before she knew about Kushina.

Speaking of, she needed to text her since she had forgotten that morning due to her sleeping through the alarm. Nina thought about just texting her now before she forgot, but when she went to grab it, Obito was handing binders to Shikaku and Genma and turning to face her directly.

"So Mr. Namikaze needs you to take notes for him today during his conference call with the Senju's," he started, plopping down in the chair beside her and going on his computer to forward her a template of some sort.

Nina looked at her email when it came through, and saw that Obito had drafted up everything to take note of during a meeting. Things like, who was present, how long was the meeting, what were the key points, will there be a follow-up, and everything else in between.

"Why can't you do it?" She asked with her eyebrows knitting together. Had she been at Konoha Enterprises long enough to even do that?

"Because Jiraiya can't take care of himself and wants to keep me with him all afternoon to take notes on his other meetings," Obito told her with a vein bulging in his forehead. He muttered something under his breath about having to miss lunch and about having to deal with 'pervy sage' all day, whatever that meant.

"What if I screw it up?" Nina asked, biting down on the inside of her cheek. Aside from the fact that she did _not_ want to be alone with Minato, she really worried that her lack of experience would cause her to screw up the notes.

"Follow the template and you'll be fine. I promise!" Obito told her with a smile. "Just sit there and look pretty like you always do and quietly take your notes. The Senju's won't even know you're in the room."

Nina sighed in response which made Obito grin.

"He can't take his own notes?" She grumbled.

"Welcome to the corporate world, Nina. It's a magical place where everyone steals your binders and executives don't even know how the coffee machine works," Obito told her, still wearing his cheesy grin.

Considering how many times Nina had brought Minato coffee, she actually started laughing.

Obito was right. She would be just fine.

* * *

Minato stared at the clock in his office, watching the seconds tick by. He had skipped lunch and instead stayed in his office during the hour. Kushina called him and asked if he would get lunch with her, but he turned her down saying he was too busy.

He felt like an asshole for lying to her. He wasn't sure what exactly clicked in Kushina's head, but she was suddenly being nice to him. She even let him sleep in the bed last night. But she was such a restless sleeper and kicked him so many times that he ended up just going to sleep on the couch.

She was trying and he had to give that to her. But one or two days of being nice to him couldn't make up for the way she had been treating him for months.

If his conference call with the Senju's didn't start in ten minutes he would had pulled out the vodka to calm his nerves.

He then heard two knocks on his door and Nina walked in before he could even tell her to come in.

He should have asked Jiraiya to let him steal Obito for the call. His friend most likely would have agreed too, because apparently he had something against Minato being around Nina or even looking at her for that matter.

She just had to wear a dress, didn't she? She had to wear a dress that clung to her body and made every line of muscle visible to anyone who looked at her, didn't she? It was karma for last night. That's the only explanation he could come up with.

"Nina," He greeted. He mentally told himself to just keep his eyes on her face. If he could do that then everything would be fine.

She sat down across from him and set her laptop up to take notes.

"Mr. Namikaze," She said. Her voice was tight and cold and she didn't look up from her screen even once.

He looked at the clock again. Eight minutes. Eight minutes and then the call would start and he wouldn't be stuck in awkward silence with her.

"How are you?" He asked after clearing his throat.

"Fine."

He let himself frown. He didn't want things to be like this between them. He wanted her to be comfortable enough with him so they could at least have small talk. He was friends with everyone else he worked with. Why did things with her have to be so difficult?

"Is everything okay? You were late this morning," The words left his mouth and he cringed. He just had to turn into a reprimanding boss didn't he?

Nina's brown eyes flickered to his and he felt a sigh escape his lips when they did, "I overslept. I'm sorry about that," she looked down, as if she genuinely felt bad about it and his stomach twisted.

"I was just worried that's all," He tried.

She looked at him again and wore the beginnings of a smile, "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

He could feel the corner of his lip pull upwards.

"Well you're not that big. You're only 5'2," he wasn't sure where the words came from, but he could feel a grin start to break across his face when Nina gaped at him and started to shake her head, holding back a laugh.

"You know," she started as she pointed a slim finger at him, though her words were light. "I'm getting real sick of your shit."

Minato let himself laugh and relaxed when he could hear Nina join him. This was good. He could work with her if this was how they interacted. He couldn't deal with the awkwardness and avoiding eye contact. But he could deal with this. He liked this.

"I didn't realize you were so short," he said when their laughter died down.

Nina gestured to herself where she sat and threw her arms up dramatically, "Look at me! Did you really think I was going to be tall with how small I am?"

His eyes followed her gesture without his permission and he took in her small frame, painfully small waist, and long legs.

"Well it's deceiving because you have long legs," he said when his eyes went back up to meet her eyes. If she was uncomfortable with how he looked at her, she didn't show it. If anything, she looked far more relaxed now than she ever had around him, with the exception of over the weekend when she was in the comfort of her own home.

"Short torso, long legs," she remarked and her eyes glittered when she did.

It was all he could do to not look at her legs, so he instead moved his own laptop closer, pulling up any information he would need for the call.

"Obito, went over everything with you?" She nodded once and Minato looked at the clock before dialing the number.

It rang one time before someone answered.

"Minato, we're going to have to be fast about this. An emergency came up so we can't take very long," it was Hashirama's voice and Minato prayed that Tobirama wouldn't be around to give him a hard time.

"Okay. Tell me what you need then," Minato responded.

"We need copies of the 10-K, 10-Q, last year's Proxy statement, and the most recent Form 4's. Let's say from the last six months," Hashirama said quickly. Minato frowned.

"The last 10-Q or the one in the works?" He asked.

"Both," It was Tobirama who answered him and he made eye contact with Nina, hoping for some reassurance.

"How many Form 4's are there?" Hashirama asked. Minato looked at the notes on his computer, doing a quick search for the Form 4's.

"Eight," Minato answered.

"Are there any from the date when our people came into the trade secret?" It was Tobirama again, and there was no humor in his voice.

Minato swallowed and looked at the Forms, biting down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"There's one," Minato started as he rubbed his temples. "It's mine."

There was silence on the line for what was probably only ten seconds, but really felt like ten minutes before Tobirama responded with a low, " _of course it is_."

"The board issued those shares to me when I hit the one-year mar—"

"While we would love to talk about why _you_ have a Form 4 on the date we came into this _highly illegal_ information, we simply don't have the time. We'll discuss it on Thursday in person," Tobirama said.

"Minato, this doesn't look good for you. You should meet with Danzo, Shikaku, and Jiraiya to discuss this," Hashirama told him with a long sigh. He sounded so disappointed. Minato could deal with Tobirama being angry with him, but he couldn't deal with Hashirama being disappointed. It was so much worse when it was Hashirama who was upset.

"Yes Sir," Minato said dejectedly. He leaned his elbows on the desk and buried his face in his hands.

"Thursday, Minato."

The line went dead after Tobirama's warning and his office was silent again.

"Mr. Namikaze?"

Minato dug for the strength to look at Nina, "how many times do I have to ask you to call me Minato?" His voice was soft and he hoped he didn't sound as broken and pathetic as he thought he did.

She bit down on her bottom lip and looked at her laptop, "what's a Form 4? And why is it so bad that you have one on that date?"

Minato blinked at her. Sometimes he had to remind himself that Nina hadn't been with the company for very long, or that she hadn't been in the corporate world long either. She came from the service industry, so why would she even have to know what any of those forms were?

He took in a deep breath and was caught off guard by the scent of Nina's perfume filling his head.

"A Form 4 is issued when there's a material change in the company's insider holdings. In order to have a Form 4 you have to own 10% of the company's stock, and you have only a few days to file it when the change happens. So most of the time the people with Form 4's are executives like myself, or Jiraiya and Danzo, or the Senju's. To see that I received stocks on the day we came into the trade secret makes me look like I knew we were going to profit from it."

Nina's eyes widened as she realized the severity of the situation.

"Did you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she did.

"Nina, I didn't even know we had it," he said, feeling a bit defensive. "and I didn't buy those stocks. I was issued them when I had been CEO for a year. But to anyone else looking in, it just looks like I'm a criminal."

He stood up from behind his desk and headed for the cabinet and grabbed a short glass and pulled out his bottle of vodka. Screw it. He might as well drink himself into oblivion now since he was on his way out of the company.

He put the glass to his lips and knocked back the clear liquid, scrunching his nose up at the harshness from it going down. He then poured more in the glass and downed it quickly, clearing his throat this time to make it burn less.

"Okay, I think that's plenty."

It was Nina, suddenly standing beside him and pulling the bottle out of his hand. He didn't even bother fighting with her even though he was ready to down half the bottle right then and there.

"Why does it matter? I'm going to lose my job anyway. Who cares if I get shitfaced right now?" Nina moved closer and he was assaulted with the smell of her perfume once again. It was a mixture of vanilla, chai, and other spices he wasn't familiar with. But _damn_ did she smell good.

"It matters because you don't know that. Pull yourself together. You weren't chosen as CEO for no reason," she told him, moving so she stood directly in front of him so he couldn't avoid her scolding him.

He rolled his eyes which only made her scowl at him. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at him with fiery eyes.

Why the hell did she have to wear a dress? Why? Why couldn't she have worn her usual get up of a skirt with a nice shirt? How was he supposed to focus when she was standing in front of him looking like _that_?

"Seriously? It's a shitty situation but you and I both know you'll be fine. If _I_ can keep an office job as a stripper, then—"

"Why do you always have to do that?" Minato blurted.

"Do what?" She asked, looking at him like he had three heads.

"You always refer to yourself as just a stripper. You're so much more than that. You know that right?" He asked, straightening up a bit.

When he stood straight up he had to look _down_ at her. She only reached his shoulders, or maybe his chin without the heels. She clearly didn't like that either, as she crossed her arms and gave him a nasty glare that made him think of the owner of Mangekyo Strip Club.

"Stop making this about me," she said, jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Well I certainly don't want to talk about myself right now," the sarcastic comment made him laugh in spite of himself, but Nina still refused to so much as even crack a smile at him.

"You're impossible," She said with a scoff.

He couldn't take her seriously. His head was spinning from the Senju's harsh words, the vodka, and her perfume.

"Me? You're just as bad. When were you going to tell me you were buddy-buddy with my fiancée?"

The look of murder on Nina's face made him take a step back, bumping the back of his legs against the cabinet. He wasn't sure what had come over him, but it was too late to take it back now. He had said it and that was it.

"How was I supposed to tell you when I didn't know? Kushina never _once_ mentioned you by name. Only that you got some fancy promotion." She snapped, placing her hand in the middle of his chest and shoving him back so he hit the cabinet again. He only frowned in response. He should have asked Jiraiya for Obito to take the notes, but he was in too deep now.

"You couldn't put two and two together?" He remarked. He had a high tolerance for alcohol, but there was something about the two shots he took that made him bold.

" _You_ never mentioned _her_ by name either," Nina deadpanned. Her tone fell to a low one that mimicked Tobirama and he felt his stomach twist. She was right. He never mentioned Kushina by name. But… But she hadn't mentioned him by name either apparently…

"Right. Okay." It was the only response Minato could come up with because Nina was right. But all that did was piss her off even more.

"I like how you want to come at me sideways about this Kushina stuff, when in reality it's probably just because you have to come to terms with the fact that youtried tokiss me."

Her words hung in the air, and from the way her face turned shades of red, and from the way she was taking a step back to put distance between them, he realized that she hadn't meant to say that.

But it was out in the open now. Now they both had to acknowledge it in front of each other.

"I…" He stopped. He what? He didn't try to kiss? He didn't want to kiss her? It would have been a lie and they both knew that.

"You know, forget it. Forget I said anything." She turned on her heel to grab her things and leave and Minato panicked. If she left now they would never be able to look at each other in the office ever again. He couldn't let her leave on such a horrible note. If he did they would be even more awkward around each other than they already were, and he wouldn't be able to take that.

"Nina, stop."

"I'm just your administrative assistant. You don't have to explain anything to me," she said. Minato recoiled. He always thought Nina was like a pit viper when she was mad, but it wasn't even so much that she was a pit viper, it was that she turned ice cold when she was mad.

"You're not just my admin."

"No? Then what am I? I'm the stripper who took her clothes off for a couple hundred bucks, but other than that—"

"Stop that!" He snapped, infuriated that she was referring to herself as just a stripper again.

"Stop what? Calling myself a stripper? That's what I am, Minato!"

He couldn't even pause to enjoy the fact that she had referred to him by first name because she kept going and refused to stop.

"Nina, enough."

"Stripper, stripper, stripper. Why are you so afraid of the word? It's just a word. It's just my job! I'm a stripper, I'm a stripper, I'm a—"

He didn't know _what in the fuck_ came over him. Maybe it was the vodka, the fact that he was going to lose his job, the fact that he wanted to postpone his wedding, or maybe it was the fact that Nina was in a short dress and smelled like desert spices, but he shut her up the only way he knew how, and that was by kissing her.

He had to lean down to do it, and he cradled her face in both of his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he possibly could, and felt her go completely still.

He should have pulled away. But right when he planned to, her lips moved against his, kissing him back.

It was like the levee in his mind broke, and with it went _all_ of his self control.

Minato kept one hand on the back of her head, messing up her dark hair in the process, and let his other hand rest on the small of her back, pulling her into his chest. She didn't fight him and instead knotted her fingers in his hair, raking her teeth along his lower lip between long, slow kisses.

Heat pooled in his lower stomach and he moved both of his hands to her tiny waist and squeezed there. She sighed against his lips when he did and ran her tongue along his bottom lip, making him squeeze her tighter. And he wasn't sure when he did, but at some point he lifted her up onto his desk and stood between her legs, trying to get as close as humanly possible.

He could feel her legs wrap around his waist, as he pushed her farther onto his desk. It was then he realized that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. He should have stopped but he just couldn't.

Every breath he took was filled with warm spices and any time he opened his eyes he saw flashes of black hair and brown eyes. How could he stop when this was what he had been fantasizing of?

His lips left hers and moved to her neck, just under her ear. The second he kissed the skin there, her whole body arched into him and she let out a soft moan that sent heat scorching through his whole body.

It would have been so easy for him to take her right there. His schedule was blocked for the rest of the hour, and all she had on was a dress, so he could have easily slipped it up above her thighs, above her hips. He could have had her on the desk right that minute. _Fuck, he wanted her so badly_ …

But when he moved away from her neck to kiss her again, she stopped and he could feel her legs unwrap from around him.

Her pupils were blown, her chest was red, and he knew that if he could kiss her again, she would have had no will power, and that she would have gone along with anything.

"Stop," she said with a sigh, trying to catch her breath.

He didn't kiss her, but he didn't move away either. He still stood between her legs, he still had her up on the desk, and he still had his hands around her tiny waist.

He closed his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself. What did he just _do?_

"Just…" Her words got stuck in her throat and she put her hand to her forehead.

He got the hint and moved away from her. She stood straight up and pulled the short dress back down over her thighs.

When he had he pushed it up?

She walked over to the window where she could see her reflection and smoothed her hair out. His eyes followed every movement she made, never once straying from her.

When she turned back around she met his eyes and let out a short huff.

"Do _not,_ " she paused, her cheeks still pink as she tried to reprimand him, "do that again."

Then she picked up her laptop and left…

* * *

I feel like this is the chapter everyone has been waiting for lol...

I was going to wait until Saturday to post this, but I just really really really wanted to post it now. So since I posted it ahead of schedule, my plan is to have the next chapter out by Tuesday, but we'll see. It depends on my work schedule this weekend.

BY THE WAY, IT DOES SAY MATURE THEMES AHEAD IN THE LITTLE STORY SUMMARY. I TRIED TO WARN YA'LL.

Also, thank you guys SO MUCH for still reading this story! The reviews just make my day. You guys are seriously the best! Lemme know what you thought! Like I said, I feel like this was the chapter everyone was waiting for.


	14. Chapter 14

Nina had been a loner for most of her life. From the time she was a little girl and up until she was a young adult, she had always been more comfortable being alone, rather than being around other people. When she lived with her mother, the woman hardly gave her the time of day. And when she lived with her father, he was often too drunk to have a conversation with, or he was out running jobs on the streets. She never had friends in school because she was Kai Sato's daughter, making her a thug by association that parents wouldn't let their kids talk to, and would get bullied for being the weird kid who always ate lunch alone.

When she was older, she lied about her age and started working at Mangekyo as a server and busser when she was just sixteen, and even then she was still a loner. She figured that was why Madara liked her so much. She wasn't the gossiping type and didn't care what the rest of the girls thought. She just kept her head down and did her job.

Then she was promoted to a dancer and slowly grew to be more comfortable around other people. She was friendly acquaintances with most of the girls like Shizune, closer with Mei, and looked at Tsunade like a mother figure. Then there were Ay and Bee. She liked Ay enough, as he was fairly easy to talk to, and Bee was probably the only person on the planet she considered a real friend.

But even then, she still always found herself to be alone. She lived alone. Went to work alone. Spent most of her weekends alone. That's just how things always were. Her father always told her that she didn't need anyone in life, that no child of his would rely on other people to survive. He told her that is was OK to be rough around the edges, because when you're not, people take advantage of you.

She could picture him even now saying it to her. She was probably only eight or nine the first time he said it. It was probably prompted by her coming home crying one day from school because of the bullies. He would kneel down so he could get on her level and look her dead in the eyes and say,

' _You're too nice, Doll. And you know what? People don't understand nice. They think they can walk all over you if you're nice. But if you're tough? If you show them they can't push you around? They won't mess with you. People don't understand nice, but they do understand tough._ _'_

Any time things went badly for her, her father would do the same thing and tell her that people didn't understand nice. And after hearing it for so many years, she took it to heart.

But could anyone blame her? It was all she had witnessed throughout her short life.

First there was her dad, and despite his tiny frame, he was a tough guy his whole life. He did work for criminal organizations, did time in prison, made a bad name for himself, but no one ever messed with him.

Then there was Tsunade, who was as pretty as anyone could be, with blonde hair, brown eyes, and a body that made all the dancers jealous. She could be sweet one moment, but if you looked at her the wrong way, she would knock you flat on your ass without a moment's hesitation.

Then finally, there was Madara. No one, and she meant _no one_ , would have dared risk their life by trying to take advantage of Madara Uchiha. Madara was cold, and strict, and tougher than even her father. And he epitomized everything her father had told her to be.

Nina tried to follow in all of their footsteps. She was a flirt when she performed, she could mingle with the richest of the clients, and she could play nice when needed. But when someone overstepped their boundaries or rubbed her the wrong way, she became her father. She became Tsunade. She became Madara.

Because people don't understand nice.

The problem though, is that when you're tough all the time, people don't want to get close to you. So if you're tough, you better be comfortable with being a loner. Which thankfully, Nina always was… Just the way her father, Tsunade, and Madara always were.

But…

People weren't made for life alone. And when things caved in, there would be no one to turn to. Her father would tell her she was too nice, Tsunade would tell her to toughen up a bit, and Madara would tell her to walk it off or make someone pay.

And right now, Nina didn't want to hear any of that. Right now, all she wanted was someone to turn to and to give her good advice. Should she quit her job at Konoha? Should she tell Kushina about what happened with Minato? Should she just pretend like nothing ever happened?

But when you're a loner and don't let anyone in, nobody knows you well enough to tell you what to do. Or worse, they just don't care. So when the walls come caving in, there's no one around to help pick up the pieces.

And it sucks.

It really sucks…

* * *

Kushina kept her phone close, texting Nina on and off throughout the afternoon. When Nina had asked her what the "good news" was, Kushina told her that she had been trying her very hardest to work things out with Minato, and that she even let him sleep in the bed last night. It took Nina longer to reply to that text, but the dark haired girl had told her how great that was.

Kushina felt pretty good about the whole thing. Sure, she was only one day in with this whole thing, but with any luck, she would be able to keep it up and then things would be easier with the two of them. Then they would get married and everything would be back the way it always had been.

At least she hoped…

Kushina had waited for Minato in the living room, sitting on the sofa and occupying herself with her phone while she waited.

He called her earlier saying he would be a little late. She resisted the urge to give him shit for it, and instead swallowed her anger and said that was fine.

He was late by a little over an hour when he finally walked in the door. His eyes were glazed over and his blonde hair hung in front of his eyes when he looked down. He kicked his shoes off by the door and tossed his suit jacket over the arm of the sofa.

She could feel her blood boil and pressed her lips to keep from snapping at him. He knew damn well how much she hated when he left his jacket there and didn't put his shoes away.

"How was work?" She asked, leaning on her hip.

He didn't look at her. He only fell into the cushions and pinched the bridge of his nose for a long moment.

"I'm going to lose my job," he muttered under a breath.

Kushina felt an eyebrow raise, "don't be so dramatic."

"I'm not—" Minato caught himself right as his voice started to rise in volume and he stopped. "I'm being serious, Kushina. There is a very strong likelihood that after the board meeting I will no longer be CEO."

Kushina felt worry twist in her stomach. The tension in her fiancé's shoulders told her all she needed to know.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Kushina tried. She tried to sound confident and relaxed as she spoke, but she knew it fell on deaf ears, as Minato was so lost in his own internal debate that she doubted he even heard her.

"Minato?" She asked. It took a few moments, but finally looked at her with those light blue eyes and Kushina gave him a soft smile, "let's go out tonight."

He frowned at her and looked at his watch before saying, "It's Tuesday."

"And?" She pressed, once again trying to reign in her temper.

"I…" He stopped and rubbed the back of his head as he let out a sigh.

"Okay."

* * *

Nina looked around, waiting for Obito. She had texted him earlier, pretty much begging the kid to come get drinks and cheap bar food with her. He had argued saying that he was tired and that no bartender would serve him, but eventually gave in after Nina bugged him long enough.

So she waited outside Kaguya's. It was the same bar Fugaku worked at, and the same bar that Kakashi's promotion party had been it. Going to a familiar bar was the only way Obito would agree to meeting her, so Nina bit the bullet and made peace with the fact that she would end up spending too much money on food at the overpriced bar.

"Hey," Nina said with a smile, giving Obito a one armed hug. It was weird seeing him out of his work clothes. He wore a pair of jeans, some converse, and a navy and orange zip up sweatshirt.

Obito grinned at her when she released him, "so what's the special occasion?"

"I'm lonely and I need company," Nina told him with a laugh. Obito laughed with her as they entered in the bar.

"Nina, if you're lonely then there's no hope for me," Obito remarked as they walked over to the bar. Nina's eyes caught Fugaku making a drink.

"Don't be such a downer. You're a total catch," Nina said, giving him a wink. Obito crossed his arms and blushed. He pouted and looked around the room, muttering something under his breath that Nina didn't quite catch.

When Fugaku turned around, Nina wolf whistled at him, catching his attention. He looked perplexed, but when his saw her, she could see him chuckling.

"Taking a night off, Catwoman?" He asked, leaning on the bar and giving her a wicked smirk.

"Just for tonight," she told him. She had only worn skinny jeans, vans, and a big pullover hoodie. She was sure it was a surprise to anyone who was friends with her, as she more often than not lived in skin tight clothing.

"What are you drinking?" He asked.

"Whiskey sour for me and," she looked over her shoulder at Obito, "a vodka sprite for my friend?"

Fugaku took one look at Obito and raised an eyebrow. Nina instead gave him a big smile and laced her fingers together, "pretty please?"

Fugaku laughed once and shook his head as he turned around to make the drinks. Nina looked at her phone as he made them, curious to see if Kushina had texted her at all. She hadn't, and Nina would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved. She didn't want to hear about how great things with Kushina and Minato were going.

No way.

When he came back with the drinks, Nina pulled out her wallet to pay but Fugaku stopped her.

"On the house."

Nina paused, "you sure?"

"You look like you need it," Fugaku said, winking once at her. Nina gave him a soft smile and mouthed 'thank you' before taking the drinks and finding a booth in the corner for her and Obito to sit in.

"So is he your boyfriend?" Obito asked, gesturing at Fugaku with a nod of his head as he took a sip of the drink Nina had managed to get for him. Nina raised an eyebrow and looked at where Fugaku was swiping someone's card before looking back at Obito.

"No, why?"

"Well that's the same guy from Kakashi's party and he wouldn't serve me last time, but he did this time all because you smiled at him," Obito pointed out.

Nina blinked and shrugged, "you must be good with faces."

"Tactfully evading the question I see," Obito remarked with an all knowing smirk. Nina rolled her eyes with a light scoff.

"He's not my boyfriend. We're not dating. We're just friends," Nina answered, sipping on her whiskey sour. If her dad had seen her drink the cocktail, he would have called her a yuppie for mixing anything with whiskey at all. He would have insisted that whiskey be drank either on the rocks, or neat.

"So you're bitter and alone like me?" Obito asked. He leaned his chin on his hand and Nina held back a laugh.

"I suppose so. But you don't seem very bitter," Nina pointed out. Obito shrugged and sipped on his drink. He looked to the side and Nina noticed the way his eyebrows knit together, and the way the corner of his lips pulled downward.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Rin's been going on dates with someone," Obito grumbled, taking a long swig of his drink.

Nina's eyebrows shot up and she looked around the room for a second before focusing back on Obito, "with Kakashi?"

"Oh if it was Kakashi you would know. I would have decked him the minute he walked in the office," Obito answered. He tried to give Nina a smirk but it came across as more of a grimace. Nina didn't think she could picture Obito punching _anyone_ , but she wouldn't tell him that.

"Then who—"

"Dunno. He doesn't work with us. But I've just decided that I'm destined to be alone forever," Obito answered. He took another sip of his drink, already almost done with it and swirled the black straw around the cup, avoiding Nina's gaze entirely.

"Just because she went out on a few dates with someone doesn't mean she's in a relationship. Maybe you should—"

"You said you're alone. If _you're_ alone then where's the hope for a guy like me?"

Nina didn't know what to say. So she instead sipped on her drink and bit down on the inside of her lip.

"Guess we'll just have to be old cat ladies then," Nina tried. Obito's dark eyes flickered to hers and he rolled them, but not before he erupted into giggles that he tried to stifle with his hand. Nina could feel a grin split across her face and breathed a sigh of relief. She much preferred happy Obito as compared to sad Obito.

"Is it bad if I already have a cat?" Obito asked through his laughter.

"Really?" Nina asked, still grinning. Obito pulled out his phone and handed it to Nina when he pulled up a picture of a ginger cat with black hair in its ears. "What a cutie!"

"His name is Kurama," Obito said happily. He put away his phone and finished what was left his drink. Nina leaned her chin on her hand and shook her head.

"I would never have guessed you had a cat."

"I'm full of surprises thank you very much," Obito remarked.

Nina was going to ask him more about his cat but stopped when she saw Obito squinting his eyes past where Nina sat. She raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder.

"What?" She asked, trying to see what Obito was looking at.

The minute the word left her mouth, she was greeted with the sight of Minato and Kushina at the bar. Kushina was in nice jeans and a sweater, and Minato was in a faded pair of jeans and a black long sleeved shirt, dressed down just like he had been over the weekend. He wasn't dressed as Mr. Namikaze. He was dressed as Minato and Nina suddenly wished that she hadn't gone out at all now.

"Well this is awkward," Obito said under his breath, looking away from their boss and back at Nina. Nina met his eyes and tried to look casual.

"I'm sure they're not—"

"Nina!"

Nina mentally cursed herself for looking over her shoulder for too long, because she could hear Kushina's voice, loud and clear, over the music of the bar. Nina resisted the urge to pull her hood up over her head and duck out of the club and waited for the redhead to approach them.

"Kushina," Nina greeted, trying to smile. How was she supposed to look at Kushina after what happened earlier with Minato? How the fuck was she supposed to act like everything was fine and dandy when it wasn't?

"I didn't think I'd see you guys here," Kushina said, still smiling at both Nina and Obito. Nina couldn't stop herself from looking around for Minato. He was still at the bar, probably getting their drinks, and Nina wondered if they could get out of there before he came over.

"Nina dragged me out for a night of commiserating," Obito said. He gave Kushina a cheesy grin that she returned and Nina felt her heart squeeze.

She was a home wrecker.

"Those are usually more fun anyway," Kushina said.

"I think so," Obito remarked.

Nina could see Minato from the corner of her eye walking over to them, holding a beer and some type of martini that he handed to Kushina.

"Obito, Nina," Minato said as he cleared his throat and nodded at the both of them. He didn't act weird or nervous. He didn't even ignore Nina. He just acted like nothing happened. In fact, he looked so casual that Nina had half the mind to wonder if she didn't dream up the fact that he had kissed her just a few hours ago.

"Since when do you guys come downtown?" Obito asked. He was looking at them both with an easy expression that would have been calming, but Nina was too wired to feel its effects. She instead occupied herself with her whiskey sour in hopes it would numb the edges of her frayed nerves.

"I made Minato take me out," Kushina answered with a giggle.

Nina sucked down more of her drink as Kushina leaned into Minato's chest. God, what would her father think of her if he saw her right now?

' _People don_ _'_ _t understand nice._ _'_

"Well why don't you guys sit with us—"

Unsure of what came over her, Nina kicked Obito under the table. He grunted and shot her a look that was a cross between irritation and confusion. Nina only gave him a sickening sweet smile in response and knocked back the rest of her drink.

Kushina and Minato exchanged a look before Minato said, "let's leave Obito and Nina alone. I don't think they want to spend their off hours with their boss."

Minato put his hand on the small of Kushina's back and tried to usher her away, but Kushina was stubborn as an ox and stayed put.

"We're leaving," she started. She then turned to Nina and said, "you look tired. Try to get home early tonight and get some sleep, okay?" She gave Nina a motherly smile and Nina was already craving the bottle to calm her anxiety.

She couldn't say anything. Her throat was too tight. She only nodded in response.

Kushina frowned, but waved to the both of them and let Minato guide her away.

When they were out of earshot, Nina exhaled and took her little straw out of her cup and started to chew on it. She stared at the table but stopped when she could feel Obito's heavy stare on her.

"What?"

"The hell was that?" Obito asked as he eyebrows knit together.

"The hell was what?"

"Why'd you have to kick me? I thought you and Kushina were friends!" Obito pointed out. He looked over his shoulder to see Minato and Kushina seated at the bar, having some sort of conversation.

"No reason," Nina remarked.

Obito glowered at her and crossed his arms.

Obito, who was always the most pleasant person Nina had met, suddenly had a sternness in his face that caught her off guard and made her frown.

"Stop looking at me like that!" She said.

"Well what am I supposed to do? You and Kushina are supposedly friends, but you don't want her sitting with us? Are you fighting with Mr. Namikaze or something? Because he's been weird around you lately and—"

"What does _that_ mean?" Nina blurted. She could feel herself starting to panic. Did Obito notice something? What if he thought there was something going on between them?

" _You_ tell _me!_ " Obito bit back.

Nina held her breath and rubbed the back of her neck. She wanted to come clean about everything to _someone_. But she couldn't tell Obito that she had a thing for Minato. There was no way in hell. He would never forgive her. But maybe she didn't have to tell him about that part. Maybe she could tell him something else.

"Fine. You can't tell anyone," She started.

"I won't."

"Obito, I mean it."

Obito pursed his lips and looked over his shoulder as if to make sure no one was listening, and leaned in closer over the table, "what is it?"

Nina took in a deep breath. She may not have been able to tell him the whole truth, but maybe she could tell him part of it.

"I don't know if you know this, but Mr. Namikaze went to a strip club for his bachelor party," Nina started. Obito almost immediately narrowed his eyes.

"Well yeah. Jiraiya planned it. I would have been surprised if he didn't. But… How do _you_ know that?"

Nina bit the inside of her cheek and said, "I know that because I was one of the strippers who worked the party."

Obito stared at her, his lips slightly parted. He then blinked once. Twice. Three times. Then his eyes shot over to Minato and then back to Nina.

"What?" He deadpanned.

"Obito, I'm a stripper," she waited for a response but she got none. He only gaped at her and waited for her to continue. She cleared her throat and went on to say, "I don't make nearly as much money as you might think and I needed a new job. Mr. Namikaze recognized me immediately and for some reason he decided to take a chance on me and hired me as the second admin. So if things ever seem weird, that's why."

Instead of bombarding her with a series of questions of how the hell could she take her clothes off for money, or what the hell was Minato thinking when he hired her, or even how she was able to be both an admin during the day and a stripper during the night, he instead asked something that not even Nina could have expected.

"Which club do you work at?"

It was Nina's turn to blink dumbly. Out of every question she had been expecting, 'which club do you work at' was the very last one.

"…Mangekyo. Why?"

"Are you shitting me?" Obito gave her a dead stare and Nina was suddenly very self conscious.

"What?" She asked.

"My uncle owns that club."

" _What?_ " Nina repeated. This time she was the one giving Obito the dead stare and he ran his hands through his hair, effectively messing it up as their conversation continued.

"Madara _Uchiha_. Obito _Uchiha_ ," Obito pointed out.

It was then that Nina realized she had never learned Obito's last name. Otherwise she might have put two and two together.

"You're fucking kidding me," Nina said. She scoffed at the sheer disbelief of it all and leaned back into the booth and just blinked at her fellow admin. The more she looked at him, the more she saw some small similarities. Their dark features were the same, but that was where it all ended. Obito was happy and loving and kind. Madara was… Well Madara was Madara.

"If I didn't get this job with Konoha Enterprises he told me that he would hire me on as a bar-back until I got a real job," Obito explained. Nina tried to picture Obito being the bar-back and doubted it would have ended well. Ay was the head bartender and had a knack for scaring off the young bar-backs. Madara couldn't keep a bar-back to save his life, because they were all young kids that wanted to be big shot bartenders, not realizing that there was a latter to climb if that's what they wanted. Ay would have made Obito quit during his first week.

"I'm in The Twilight Zone. I swear. Because that is the only way any of this makes sense," Nina said, brushing her hair out of her face. "I've worked for your uncle since I was sixteen."

Obito raised an eyebrow, "he let you strip at sixteen?"

Nina huffed, "No, Obito! I was a server who lied about my age to get the job in the first place, and then when I was older I was a dancer."

She couldn't believe that he wasn't more appalled by the fact she was a stripper. But then again, with his uncle being Madara Uchiha, he probably didn't care.

"Small world," Nina said under her breath.

"So that's where you got your black eye then. Some douchebag client probably punched you. Right?" Obito asked, staring Nina down. Nina leaned back and let out a sigh. No point in denying it any longer.

"Yeah. Madara handled it though."

Obito cringed in response. Nothing good ever came from the phrase, 'Madara handled it'.

"Obito, why aren't you more surprised about me being a stripper?" Nina asked. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and picked at the corner of her fingernails. While she was downright relieved that he didn't care, she couldn't understand _why_ he didn't care.

Obito shrugged, albeit a bit awkwardly before answering her with, "no offense, but you're way too pretty to be an admin. Like seriously. Way too pretty. And you're in damn good shape and the way you walk in those heels. I know it might be a weird thing to notice, but you gotta understand I see women at work walk in heels all the time and they suck at it. You walk better in heels than you do in flats. And then at Kakashi's party… You seemed more comfortable in a club than anywhere else and I dunno. It just makes sense now."

Nina didn't have a response. She only leaned on her hand and looked at Obito. She tried to see any semblance of Madara. She came up empty handed for the most part. But despite all of his faults, Nina loved Madara. And the more she got to know Obito, the more she started to love him too.

"You promise you won't tell anyone?" She asked under her breath.

"Hell yeah," Obito told her. He gave her a cheesy grin, the same one he often gave Kushina.

"Thank you," She told him, letting out a soft breath.

It may not have been the whole truth, but it was a little bit of the truth. And at this point, Nina was going to take what she could get.

* * *

Nina and Obito had left the bar following their conversation to go elsewhere. She just didn't feel comfortable when Minato and Kushina were in the same room. They ended up walking around downtown and at a little after nine, Obito headed back to his apartment. It was still early, and even though Nina knew she needed sleep, she chose instead to stop at Mangekyo. Maybe Bee would be working and she could take refuge there for a little bit, as she wasn't ready to go home just yet.

Nina entered Mangekyo with her hair in a giant messy bun, and wearing a big pair of sunglasses in doors like a jackass, in hopes of none of the clients recognizing her. With the oversized hoodie that enveloped her tiny frame, she doubted anyone would look twice at her.

Nina walked over to the bar and sat at the very end, leaning her elbows there. She waited for Ay to turn around and notice her, and sure enough, he took one look at her and laughed.

"That's some disguise there," he teased, pouring a shot of whiskey for her.

"Thank you," she said with a stupid grin. She then took the shot and looked around to see who all was present.

Ay was there as usual, she could see Bee standing by the stage as the new girl danced. Madara hired her on when Nina was out because of her black eye. It was some girl named Mikoto. She was young, just having turned nineteen. Nina didn't know much about her, other than that she came from Naka and that she probably was a breath away from being homeless. Most people from The Valley and Naka were anyway, and that was the driving force for almost every young stripper that Nina had come across.

"The hell are you doing in here on your day off?" Ay asked.

"Couldn't sleep," she remarked.

Ay shrugged and leaned on the bar beside her, as they both watched Mikoto.

"She's kinda awkward," Ay said.

Nina watched the way the girl attempted to sway her hips to subtle beats in the music, but just being a half beat short each time.

"Most new girls are," Nina tried.

"You weren't."

"I was blessed with natural rhythm," Nina said back. She stuck her tongue out at him and Ay snickered under his breath. The club was pretty slow for a Tuesday night, and after looking around the club to ensure none of her usual clients were there, Nina felt safe enough to remove the sunglasses.

She continued to talk with Ay, and when Mikoto finished and headed in the back, Bee walked back to the front of the house. As a bouncer, he usually had to stand by whichever stage was being used in case one of the clients got impatient and handsy and tried to go for the dancer. Between performers, he would spend time in the front of the club.

"What are you doing here?" Bee asked, wrapping an arm around Nina when he reached her.

"Looking for the next big talent."

Bee scoffed in response and released her, looking between her and his brother.

"You wanna get up there? Show the new girl how it's done?"

"Absolutely not," Nina said back. She started looking around the club again. Tuesdays were generally pretty slow, so Nina didn't expect to see Mei or Tsunade there, but oddly enough, her eyes caught sight of Madara in a corner of the club in a booth, appearing to be in deep conversation with someone.

"Who is that?" Nina asked as she raised her eyebrow. She squinted her eyes in the darkness to try and get a better view of whoever it was that Madara was speaking with.

"Don't know. He's been showing up for a couple of weeks now. Madara told me last time he came in here to bash his skull in with a baseball bat, but now it looks like they're business partners," Bee explained.

Nina craned her neck. Something in her gut told her to turn away and go home, but she was too damn curious. Maybe this was why Madara had been acting weird.

She didn't need to see the full face of the guy in front of her boss because all she saw was a bandaged face and her mouth fell open.

"Holy shit."

Ay and Bee looked at each other in confusion before Bee said, "what?"

"N-nothing," Nina muttered. She put her sunglasses back on and ducked her head when she saw Madara and Danzo stand up. She didn't even want to think about what the miserable old man might say to her if he saw her in a strip club of all places. The only saving grace was that she wasn't dancing.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but after a few moments Madara was standing beside her and Bee with his arms crossed.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" He asked, glowering down at Nina.

Nina craned her neck to look over her shoulder to check for Danzo, and when she came up empty handed she let out a breath. She removed her sunglasses and pocketed them in her hoodie before finally meeting Madara's dark gaze.

"Why was Danzo here?" She blurted.

Madara blinked. It was probably the first time in the many years she had known the Uchiha man that she caught him at a loss for words. He didn't say anything and opened his mouth as if to explain, but then promptly closed it. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes in a thoughtful gesture, and then they snapped open.

"Give us a minute," Madara instructed to Ay and Bee without ever taking his eyes off Nina.

The brothers didn't need to be told twice, and they scurried off, eager to avoid Madara's rage. Her boss then sat on the stool beside her and leaned one elbow on the bar and pursed his lips together in a firm line.

"How do you know Danzo?" He asked.

Nina laced her hands together and tilted her chin up, trying to keep her nerve.

"That's not important."

Madara scoffed, "I beg to differ."

Nina bit down on the inside of her cheek. Madara didn't know she had a second job and she didn't want him finding out. What if he took it the wrong way and thought that she was going to leave the club? What if he got mad and stopped scheduling her?

"Look, it doesn't matter. But I know he's bad news. So what the hell is going on?" She demanded. Madara raised one eyebrow and let out one, short breath.

"We're going into business together," Madara answered.

It was Nina's turn to raise her eyebrow. What the hell did that mean? If Danzo was the Chief Legal Counsel for Konoha Enterprises, why would he want to start up a small business?

"With _his_ job he's going to start a new business?" She deadpanned.

"All right, enough. How the hell do you know him?" Madara snapped as he slammed his hand down on the bar. Nina could see Ay and Bee looking at them through her peripherals. This was what she got for going out on her night off. Lesson learned. Point taken.

Nina let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead, "I…" She huffed in frustration. Guess it was time to come clean. "I got a second job to help with the bills, and the job I got was an administrative assistant at Konoha Enterprises and—don't look at me like that!"

"You got a second job?" Madara asked. He didn't look mad, but his eyebrows knitted together and he actually looked… Well he looked betrayed.

"It's not just my bills I cover, Madara. I have to send my dad enough money to live off of and I needed the extra cash."

Madara held his hand up, "you don't have to explain yourself to me."

Nina frowned. She hated disappointing people and she especially hated disappointing Madara.

"I don't think he's worth your time," Nina tried.

Madara exhaled softly, and shrugged, "I know that."

"Then why are you doing business with him?" She asked, feeling her lips pull into a pout. It was like she was watching her father make a bad decision that would land him in prison all over again. Only this time it was Madara.

Madara's jaw tensed and he closed his eyes again, trying to reign in whatever it was that he was feeling.

"He made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

What the hell did that mean?

The confusion must have been written all over her face, as Madara pursed his lips and continued with, "so you work at Konoha Enterprises, huh?"

Nina could only nod in response.

Madara turned his head to Ay and held his chin up, "Scotch."

Ay obliged and came over, leaving Madara's neat scotch in front of him. He looked at Nina to see if she wanted anything but she shook her head and he nodded and walked away from the two of them. Nina's eyes flickered to where Madara knocked back a bit of his drink before clearing his throat and looking at Nina carefully.

"Do you know what I did before opening Mangekyo?"

Nina racked her memory for any stories of Madara pre-Mangekyo. She didn't know any. Mangekyo had been open for over a decade by the time she was hired on, and none of the girls she started with were still there to tell her any stories. So she shook her head.

"My best friend from college and I started a business when we graduated. It was great because we were very customer oriented," it made sense to Nina. Madara, for all his faults, had a talent for pleasing customers. He could sell ice to an Eskimo, pacify a hysteric Alzheimer's patient, and sway a crowd from wanting to crucify you to wanting to kiss the ground you walked on. "And eventually when your business becomes successful enough, you have to incorporate. Mangekyo is a corporation in fact… So we incorporated and continued to grow. And the idiot, he let his brother into the business. I hated him and he hated me. But the guy had some damn good ideas that really propelled us forward,"

Nina leaned forward, watching Madara as if he was under a microscope. Why was this the first time she had heard this? Did Tsunade know this story?

"And as we grew, I was being pushed out of the picture by the board. People preferred those brothers over me and one thing led to the next and before I knew it, I was pushed out of the company that _I_ helped build."

Madara's hand curled into a white knuckled fist and his nose curled as he raised the glass of scotch to his lips and took a long swig.

"This _offer_ that Danzo gave you, it has to do with Konoha Enterprises, doesn't it?" Nina asked. She couldn't stop thinking about the way Danzo had been acting towards Minato, as if he knew Minato was going to lose his job.

Madara gave her one long look, "Konoha Enterprises is the business that _I_ started with Hashirama Senju."

 _She knew it_. Whatever it was that Danzo was working on with Madara, centered around deposing Minato as CEO and probably putting himself in the position.

"What are you two doing?" Nina tried.

Madara took another sip of his scotch, scrunching his nose up at the taste.

"That's enough. You can work there all you want, but I won't tell you anything else."

"This has to do with the ongoing lawsuit with The Akatsuki Group, doesn't it?"

Madara stood up and held his scotch in hand before leaning down so he could say something in her ear.

"Go home, Nina."

* * *

"You coming to bed?" Kushina asked from the bedroom. She was already in her pajamas and was lying in bed, probably on her phone.

Minato looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He only wore a pair of sweatpants for bed and his bangs hung just over his eyes. He really should have gotten a haircut. Maybe he would try to find time to get one before his meeting with the Senju brothers, but at the same time, who really gave a shit? It's not like it would help him keep his job or anything.

"Minato?" It was Kushina's voice again and Minato held back a groan.

"Coming."

His mind was in ruins. It was torn between stressing about this meeting on Thursday, the possibility of postponing the wedding, and _Nina_.

He shouldn't have kissed her, but he did. And then to add insult to injury, she had been out with Obito at the bar and looked completely mortified to see him. Not that he could blame her of course.

Minato turned on his heel and entered his bedroom to see where Kushina was stretching out in the bed. She was scrolling through her phone, just like he figured she would be. He held back a sigh and got into bed. He still couldn't quite get used to being in bed with her again. It was only night two though, so maybe he would get used to it sooner or later.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight," Kushina said with a smile on her face. Minato kept his lips pressed in a tight line and nodded once. He sank further into the soft bed, and went to rest his head in the pillows but stopped when he felt Kushina's lips on his.

Her hand rested on his chest and started to trail lower and lower, about to slip past the band of his pants. But Minato's hand rested on her wrist before she could go on.

"Stop," he said under his breath.

Kushina paused and pulled away with a frown on her face, "huh?"

The sincerity in her tone broke his heart and he had to squeeze his eyes shut for a second so he didn't just blurt out the truth right then and there.

He didn't want a repeat of the other day. He didn't want to fantasize about Nina while he was with Kushina again. He already had enough shame and embarrassment to last a lifetime from before. And he doubted he would be able refrain from saying Nina's name after today. After really getting the chance to kiss and touch her, he didn't think he would be able to control himself.

"Not tonight," he said with strained breath.

"Why not?" She asked. Her eyebrows knit together in genuine confusion and Minato felt his heart squeeze again.

"I know what you're trying to do," he muttered. "I know you're trying to… _Fix_ whatever is going on between us. But initiating sex whenever you get the chance, and letting me sleep in the bed and being nice to me for a few days isn't going to fix anything. It's just… It's just slapping a Band-Aid on." He averted his eyes as he spoke, trying to avoid either an angry stare from Kushina or a disappointed one.

"Well what would you have me do then?" Kushina asked. Her voice was soft and she didn't sound upset, or even mad. She just sounded flat.

He would have her postpone the wedding or even call the whole thing off. But he couldn't say that. Or could he?

"I don't know," he grumbled.

"Don't lie to me," Kushina warned. Her voice was dangerously low and Minato fought back the urge to cringe. He should have known Kushina was going to call him out. They had known each other for so long that she could see right through his shit if she just really looked at him.

Minato sat up and held his breath, "I asked you if you wanted to marry me. You told me you did. Do you still mean that?"

Kushina didn't respond right away. She only sat up as well and kept her dark blue eyes trained on his face. He couldn't breathe. There was no way. Any movement, no matter how small, might have set her off and it just wasn't worth the risk.

"Yes," she said after a moment. Her tone was steady and sure and for whatever reason, Minato felt himself deflate.

Why did he feel disappointed?

"Okay."

* * *

Forgive me! I was away for the holidays! But anywho, this was a slower chapter, but a necessary one. The next chapter is spicy and exciting so hang tight for that!

Thank you to everyone leaving reviews! You guys are the best!


	15. Chapter 15

Nina resolved to talk to Minato first thing in the morning. He had to know that Danzo was behind the whole thing before the meeting with the Senju's tomorrow. So when she came in the morning, she asked Obito right away if Minato had any time in his schedule.

"Sorry, he's booked the entire day to get ready for tomorrow."

Nina sighed and rubbed her forehead. He had to know about Danzo, and the sooner the better.

"He doesn't have _any_ time? Not even like five minutes?"

Obito narrowed his dark eyes at her and looked back at Minato's schedule, "it doesn't look like it. He doesn't even have a lunch break today."

Nina groaned and threw herself in her computer chair.

"Why?"

While she knew she could have talked to Obito, especially now that he knew she was a stripper and she knew he was Madara's _nephew_ , she didn't want to burden him with the information. Not only that, but she didn't want to put Obito in a bad place. If this was something that was going to blow up, it was better if he was left out of it.

"Don't worry about it. Just… If he gets any time in his schedule, like anytime _at all_ , could you let me know? It's really important."

Obito frowned but nodded.

"Why do I feel like you're about to get into deep shit?" He asked, keeping his dark eyes trained on Nina's tiny frame. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and repressed a sigh.

"Because I probably am."

* * *

"Minato, _why_ do you have a Form 4 on the day we came into the trade secret?" Jiraiya asked. He rubbed his forehead as he looked over the document provided by Shikaku. It was in one giant thick binder that held all the Form 4's for the company over the last five years, and sure enough, Minato's was right there.

"I was issued those shares by the board when I hit the one-year mark as CEO," Minato tried to explain. It even said so in the little graph on the form. Shikaku even went far enough to highlight it in bright yellow as if to demonstrate that Minato did not _purchase_ those shares, and that they were _given_ to him instead.

Jiraiya said nothing. He only scowled at the piece of paper, fingering through the binder. It had been custom for the executive officers and certain majority shareholders to be issued new shares on an annual basis. And if he flipped far enough back, Jiraiya would see that the previous CEOs had all received shares when they hit one-year in the position.

"Don't you think if I was the one orchestrating this whole thing that I would have been smart enough to _not_ acquire the trade secret on the same day I was issued shares, for risk of it looking like I thought we were going to benefit from it?" Minato deadpanned. He leaned back in his chair, feeling the knot in his shoulder. After talking to Kushina last night, he opted to sleep on the couch. She told him not to, that he should sleep in the bed, but he couldn't do it. Not when he was as stressed as he was, or as guilty as he felt.

"They're not going to like this," Jiraiya said under his breath.

"Shocker," Minato said with a huff.

Jiraiya's black eyes shot up to meet Minato's blue ones. They stared him down with a weight that normally would have made Minato shift uncomfortably in his chair. But with the heavy exhaustion that weighed him down, Minato only blinked in response. For the first time in his life, he wasn't going to let Jiraiya put anymore pressure on him, no matter how successful that pressure made him.

"Sarcasm is not going to save your job," Jiraiya warned.

"No shit."

" _Minato_ ," Jiraiya snapped, seething through his teeth. Minato groaned and reached for the paper coffee cup, stopping when he realized he had drained it completely only fifteen minutes ago. He wanted to call Obito and ask him to bring more, but with the heavy look from Jiraiya he thought better of it.

"What?"

"What has gotten into you? It's like you're a completely different person," Jiraiya said finally, pinching the bridge of his nose as the words left his mouth.

 _What had gotten into him?_ Minato could think of several things that had gotten into him. His eleven-year relationship with Kushina Uzumaki was only one breath away from completely exploding, he was about to lose his job—and at 24 he didn't know if he would ever be able to come back from that, because if he screwed up so badly already, who's to say it wouldn't happen again—he had no way of proving that he was _not_ behind the illegal trade secret acquisition, and he was now having fantasies about a stripper turned administrative assistant and couldn't stop thinking about her. And to make matters even worse, he had kissed her, wanted to do it again, and didn't even care if it ruined his already failing relationship with Kushina.

"Let's go through what has gotten into me, shall we?" Minato asked, not waiting for Jiraiya's response before he continued. "I'm about to lose my job, when I lose my job I'll have to move out, Kushina has been wanting to axe me for months but suddenly wants to be Suzie Homemaker and pretend all of our problems just magically vanished, I don't even think I want to get married anymore, and—"

"Excuse me?" Jiraiya's voice cut into Minato's angry rant, and when Minato finally stopped talking, the hot air left his lungs and he suddenly felt very small.

"I really don't want to talk about this," Minato said. His voice was so soft he doubted Jiraiya even heard him, but the large man knew Minato like he knew the back of his hand.

"No. What is going on with Kushina?"

Not seeing another option, Minato came clean. Told him everything. He told him about all of the tiny fights that led up to bigger fights, he told him how she had been holding Minato at a distance, how she stopped saying 'I love you', and how out of nowhere she was trying to jump his bones every chance she got because for some reason in her mind, having a lot of sex would just make months of arguments disappear, and would fix everything between them. He told Jiraiya that he knew Kushina fell out of love with him, that he didn't know if he was still in love with Kushina, and that if the whole wedding was canceled, he would probably cry tears of joy.

Jiraiya said nothing for a long moment, only looked at Minato in silence. The silence was downright deafening, and Minato opened his mouth to say something but Jiraiya held his hand up, making the silence continue on for what felt like forever.

"Have you done anything with Nina?"

The words hung in the air and Minato gaped at Jiraiya. Why did everything have to come back to her?

"Why?"

"Minato."

Minato inhaled sharply. No point in hiding it from Jiraiya he supposed. If anyone would understand it would be the old perv himself.

"I kissed her."

Jiraiya closed his eyes as he inhaled, probably counting to ten in his head before saying, "you didn't screw her, did you?"

Minato winced at the thought. Jiraiya really had no faith in him, did he?

"No."

Jiraiya nodded and pursed his lips together, "okay good. That's at least one thin—"

"I want to though. I want to really badly," Minato confessed. He didn't even cringe at his own words. He had already come to grips with the shame. Last night when he didn't sleep, he kept replaying the moment where he kissed the dark haired admin and lifted her up on his desk. He kept thinking about how easy it would have been to lift her tight little dress over her hips and have her right there. The shame he felt absolutely disgusted him, but he lied awake on the couch, staring at the ceiling as he came to grips with everything.

Jiraiya frowned and shook his head, "there's plenty of women I want to screw. I don't though."

Minato nodded in understanding, trying to stop thinking about the girl with the birdlike frame. When he saw her out with Obito last night his heart squeezed at how endearing she looked in the big oversized sweatshirt. She had very clearly dreaded the thought of the four of them having drinks, and Minato couldn't help but agree, so he had ushered Kushina away.

"I think you're feeling all of these things because of the tremendous pressure you're under."

Minato shrugged, "I guess. I mean the pressure doesn't help with anything, but that doesn't change any of this. Kushina doesn't love me like that anymore and I don't think I love her like that either… And Shikaku said that marriage doesn't fix anything, that it actually makes things harder."

Out of everything that Minato said, the first thing Jiraiya picked up on was the last thing Minato expected his friend to even give a shit about.

" _Shikaku_ knows about all of this?"

Minato fought back the urge to roll his eyes, "all he knows is that Kushina and I are having a rough time. But then again anyone with eyes can see that."

"And does Shikaku know that you want to fuck your secretary?"

This time Minato visibly recoiled. He could see a flash of sympathy from Jiraiya, but only for a brief second.

"What the hell, Jiraiya?"

"I have been there for you from the time you were a kid. You're my best friend, but you're also like a son to me, and I have helped you through all of your issues for years now. When you and Kushina broke up that one time for two weeks in college, I was the one who told you to get back together. I've always had your back, and all of the sudden you go to Shikaku, someone who doesn't know all of this history, and he tells you to give up? Sorry for being pissed off," Jiraiya snarled.

Of all of the people Minato would have pegged for being jealous, Jiraiya would have been one of the last ones. And to get jealous because Minato had listened to some advice offered by Shikaku no less? No way. There had to have been some underlying reason for the jealousy.

"What's gotten into you?" Minato whispered.

Jiraiya's hand squeezed into a white knuckle fist and he shut his eyes tightly. Then he opened them and spoke in a slow, steady, tone.

"When I was with Tsunade, she was the one for me. Sure, we were just kids, but I was going to ask her to marry me. And just when I was going to, I fucked up and cheated on her. It was some random hookup in a shitty bar with a girl that wasn't even half as pretty as her. And what happened? She found out and dropped me without ever looking back. I'm pretty sure she ended up with some guy named Dan—who fucking knows. But I screwed up, and I don't want you to do the same thing."

Minato frowned. He was all too familiar with the Tsunade story. No wonder he felt so strongly about his impending marriage. Jiraiya was living vicariously through Minato, trying to have the marriage he never got to have.

"Jiraiya, this is different. Kushina doesn't love me anymore. She probably hasn't for a long time."

Jiraiya sighed deeply, "fine. But do me a favor before you say or do anything."

Minato nodded, eager to move on with his day.

"Don't do anything rash until after the meeting tomorrow. Okay? When all of this blows over we can go from there and see if canceling or postponing the wedding is what you really want to do."

It seemed fair enough. And who knew. Maybe Jiraiya was right and that after the meeting tomorrow everything would blow over and magically go back to normal.

"Okay, I won't do anything rash."

"Promise me, Minato. Promise me that you won't do anything else with Nina."

Minato sighed. After kissing her, he doubted Nina ever wanted to look at him again. For all he knew, she was already drafting a resignation letter or reporting him to HR for his inexcusable behavior.

"I promise. I doubt she ever wants to see me again anyway."

Jiraiya gave him no response and left his office so Minato could get to his next meeting.

* * *

"He's been acting really weird," Kushina told Nina at lunch. Nina's eyes kept straying to her phone to check the time. Maybe if she got back early enough, she would catch her boss going to the bathroom or getting coffee so she could tell him about Danzo.

"How so?" Nina asked, trying to relax by sipping the chai she ordered to help calm her nerves. The tea smelled like her perfume, as she absolutely adored the scent of cloves and they usually helped her relax, but now the overwhelming aroma was giving her a headache.

"I've been trying to get things back to normal. You'd be so proud of me. I've been biting my tongue, so we haven't gotten into any fights but he asked me last night if I still wanted to marry him, and when I told him I did he seemed…"

Kushina trailed off and Nina narrowed her eyes, "he seemed what?"

"Disappointed."

Nina bit down on the inside of her lip. She would have to bring up Kushina when she saw Minato. If the kiss from yesterday is what triggered the conversation about whether or not Kushina wanted to marry him, then she would have to set the record straight. At this point, she didn't care if she liked him or not. He was an engaged man and over Nina's dead body would she be a home wrecker.

"He's probably just really stressed about tomorrow. I know he doesn't have a break at all today. Obito said he's even working through lunch."

Kushina nodded but then she rubbed the back of her neck and looked around the café as if she were embarrassed about something.

"What is it?" Nina asked, feeling her eyebrows furrow together as she did.

"I don't…" Kushina closed her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. "I don't think I want to get married. Scratch that, I _know_ I don't want to get married. But I can't end things. _It's Minato_. He's the first boy I kissed, the first and only relationship I've had, my lifetime best friend. How do I cancel a wedding with someone I love so much?"

Nina stared. She had nothing prepared for that. No comforting words, no reassuring phrases. Nothing.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You were the one who told me that there was no point in being in a loveless marriage, you know."

Nina still said nothing. She instead cleared her throat and brought her chai to her lips, savoring the sweet milky drink. The taste of cloves and cinnamon didn't help her nerves this time. And for once in her life, she wished she had been gifted with the blunt tongue her mother had. Sure. Her father had been a tough guy her whole life, but her mother was the one who always said whatever was on her mind.

"Kushina, are you sure about this?"

Kushina let out a sad sigh and looked down at her half eaten sandwich, "I am. Minato and I should have split up probably two years ago. But then he got the new job, and suddenly he asked me to marry him, and we moved into the condo, and things just moved really fast."

Nina kept chewing on the inside of her lip. This felt so wrong. So. _So_ wrong.

"What are you going to do?" Was all Nina could choke out.

Kushina sighed once again and shrugged, "I don't think he wants to marry me. And I think I'm okay with that. Maybe when all of this stuff at work blows over I'll sit him down and we'll talk about this."

Nina looked down. She knew she should talk to Minato and tell him to work everything out with Kushina, but she didn't want to. And she felt horrible about it.

"Well anyway. How are things with you? You look really tired," she said.

"Oh I'm fine," Nina said, sipping her chai again.

"How are things with your guy?" Kushina pressed, giving Nina a smile that reached all the way up to her pretty eyes.

The tea went right up Nina's nose, and the dark haired girl hastily grabbed a napkin to wipe her her face as she sputtered out chai, coughing in between so the tea that went up her nose and down the wrong pipe was no longer choking her. Kushina watched this display with the eyes of a woman who knew she was right, and she smirked at Nina expectantly.

"I take it they're going well," Kushina teased.

Nina, still trying to get a hold of herself, looked up to meet Kushina's eyes and felt herself immediately disarmed.

Why the fuck did Kushina have to be so fucking good natured?

"There's no guy!" Nina all but shrieked, dabbing a spot on her white shirt where the milky tea had splattered.

"Your face says otherwise," Kushina said, still smirking.

Nina felt like she was going to be sick again, "I don't want to talk about it."

That was the biggest understatement of the year. Not wanting to talk about the way she had let Minato kiss her would be putting it lightly. She didn't even want to think about it. She didn't want to think about how good it felt for him to pull her against him. She didn't want to think about the way she moaned when he kissed her neck. And she sure as fuck didn't want to think about how close she had been to letting him have her right there on his desk. No. Fucking. Thank you.

Kushina frowned, "what's wrong? It's not like he's married, is he?"

Nina's face must have portrayed what she was thinking, because Kushina gasped and covered her mouth and giggled hysterically saying, "Nina! You little hussy!"

She was absolutely mortified and felt the nausea come over her in waves. Nina closed her eyes and tried to even out her breathing.

There was a special place in hell for women like her.

"Oh, Nina. I'm just teasing you," Kushina said with a smile, reaching over to hold her hand.

"I know," Nina said back. She looked at the time on her phone again and stood up. "I need to get back to work."

Kushina nodded and joined her as they exited the café. Before they parted ways, Kushina put both hands on Nina's shoulders to look her in the eyes. The pretty redhead had blue eyes like Minato, but where his were icy, Kushina's were darker.

"I know how stressed you are with Konoha and the club, and I just want to let you know that I'm here for you."

Nina winced. She wanted to confess to Kushina in the worst way, but there was no way. Kushina would never forgive her and Nina wouldn't even be able to blame her. But she wished she could just tell Kushina everything. She wished she could tell _someone_ everything.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized Minato was probably the only one she could come clean to because he already knew everything.

"Thanks. Let's get together soon for a wine night and we'll talk, okay?" Nina suggested.

That seemed to pacify Kushina because she gave her a big grin before saying goodbye.

Nina switched into autopilot, heading back into Konoha Enterprises. She _needed_ to talk to Minato. He had to know that Danzo was behind this whole thing before his meeting with the Senju's tomorrow. Who knows what would happen if he didn't know? What if they fired him on the spot?

The more she thought about it, the more her anxiety rippled through her which made her hurry upstairs. She got back to the desk before lunch was even over and she bit down on her nail. She knew that Obito told her Minato was working through lunch, but maybe that meant he was alone in his office so she could tell him then.

Nina bit down on her lower lip and walked down the long hall to get to Minato's office, stopping at the door.

She listened for a second to see if he was in there with anybody, and she could hear Minato's voice, but didn't hear anyone else.

Taking a deep breath, Nina knocked on the door.

There was a pause before Minato finally said, "come in."

Nina looked at the time on her watch and was relieved to see that there were still twenty minutes left of lunch, so hopefully he would have enough time to listen to what she had to say. And if not… Well then they would all be screwed.

Nina closed the door behind her and saw Minato sitting on the edge of his desk, putting his phone away. There were papers all across the desk and more empty coffee cups than she could count. His dress shirt was already rolled up to his elbows and his blonde hair hung messily around his face.

"Nina," he said. He sounded surprised to see her and his blue eyes widened when they settled on her for a brief moment before they flickered away.

"Do you have a minute?" She asked, moving closer and stopping at the chairs on the other side of his desk. With his legs stretched out in front of him, Nina just realized how tall the man actually was. She swallowed hard. Now was not the time to be thinking about how good he looked.

Minato looked at his watch and said, "I've got about ten minutes but I'm really busy. Can it wait?"

She wasn't sure why, but it stung, especially because he didn't even look at her when he said it.

"It's really important," she pressed.

That got his attention and he finally looked at her, meeting her dark eyes with his own ice ones. The room suddenly felt like it was a hundred degrees and she could feel a sweat break out on the back of her neck.

"Are you okay?" He asked as his eyes flicked over her face, over her lips, her neck, before slowly dragging back up to meet her eyes again.

"It's about the lawsuit. I know wh—"

The door of his office opened to reveal Jiraiya and Shikaku coming back from lunch early and Nina took a step back, wanting to put more distance between herself and Minato.

"What's up, Dimples?" Shikaku asked nonchalantly.

"Nothing. There was something I wanted to talk to Mr. Namikaze about," Nina explained. Why was she feeling self conscious all of the sudden? It wasn't like she came to his office to _do_ anything with him. She had a legitimate reason for coming to talk to him.

"Well we've got work to do," Jiraiya told her in a clipped tone. He threw himself down in the chair on Nina's left and didn't even look at her. If anything, he looked downright annoyed that she was even in his presence. And she must not have been the only person to notice it because Shikaku was raising his eyebrow at Jiraiya. Even Minato was looking at Jiraiya with a frown on his face, but then Jiraiya looked back at Minato and they seemed to be having a conversation solely through eye contact. And whatever conversation they were having, clearly ended in Jiraiya's favor, as Minato rolled his eyes and looked back at Nina.

"We'll talk later, okay?" He asked.

Nina deflated and she nodded. She turned to leave and felt Shikaku pat her on the shoulder before she exited the office.

* * *

Jiraiya hadn't been back at the office long enough to get to know the new admin. And he was sure that he would have liked her if he took the time to actually talk to her, but every time he saw the pretty girl, he got pissed off. He was pissed off because Minato was about to throw eleven years of his relationship with Kushina out the window all because of a girl with a tight ass and long legs.

It was bullshit.

So naturally, when he and Shikaku came back from lunch early, he was pissed the fuck off when he saw the tiny admin in Minato's office. Of course she was alone with him. Of course it was when everyone was supposed to be down at lunch. And of course she was taking steps away from Minato when they came in, indicating that she had been way too close to him.

When she left the room, Jiraiya glared at the blonde CEO.

"Stop," Minato warned through his teeth.

"What was _that?_ " Shikaku started, sitting in the chair beside Jiraiya.

"What was what?" Jiraiya retorted. He crossed one leg over the other and pulled out his phone to look at emails.

"You being a dick to Nina," Shikaku deadpanned. The Nara man never missed a thing. It was part of what made him such a good director of accounting and finance, but sometimes Jiraiya didn't want to deal with Shikaku's overanalyzing bullshit. Especially when he seemed to really like Nina, and _especially_ when he told Minato that the marriage was a bad idea.

"Why don't you ask Minato since you two are such good friends," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, not caring that he was coming off as a real prick.

He watched the way Minato narrowed his eyes and made eye contact with Shikaku for a split second.

"Does he know?" Shikaku asked Minato. Minato was pinching the bridge of his nose in response, heaving a great sigh.

"I'm not doing this right now. I would prefer to actually discuss what we came here to discuss—" Minato tried, but Jiraiya cut him off in a fit of fury. He didn't even care anymore. He wouldn't let Minato make the same mistakes he made.

"Do I know what? That he kissed Nina? Yeah I know," Jiraiya snapped.

"… _You kissed Nina?_ " Shikaku all but yelled.

"Jesus Christ!" Minato cursed. He got up from where he was leaning on his desk and began to pace in front of the double windows that showed the cityscape from the top floor of the skyscraper they were in.

It was then that Jiraiya realized Shikaku did _not_ know that Minato had kissed Nina. Which meant he had been referring to something else. But what the hell was Shikaku referring to that Jiraiya didn't know?

"What were _you_ talking about?" Jiraiya asked, looking directly at the scarred Nara man. Shikaku still looked like a deer in the headlights and he was rubbing the back of his head in disbelief. He didn't look at Jiraiya though. He gave Minato a look that said he wanted to rip him a new one.

"Does he know?" Shikaku repeated. Minato buried his face in his hands as he paced around before he finally answered.

"No, he does not know and I would prefer to keep it that way," Minato bit back.

"Over my dead body. What the hell is he talking about, Minato?" Jiraiya demanded.

" _No_. You already hate her. I won't give you another reason to be a prick to her," Minato warned, turning an angry blue eye to Jiraiya.

It was Jiraiya's turn to scoff, "I don't like her because you told me today that you want to fuck her and that you kissed her. I don't like her because she's interfering with your relationship with Kushina. So unless you've already fucked her, I doubt it's something that would make me dislike her even more."

Shikaku had let his head drop into his hands at Jiraiya's words. He felt a twinge of guilt, as he realized Shikaku didn't know everything Jiraiya thought he knew, but that guilt was masked by irritation.

"Christ, Minato. I told you to be careful when she started," Shikaku breathed out.

"So you knew this was going to happen?" Jiraiya demanded, turning to look at Shikaku. Shikaku looked at Jiraiya through the corner of his eye and huffed, throwing a hand up in the air and looking at Minato.

"Do you want me to tell him or are you going to do it?" Shikaku asked, putting the pressure back on Minato.

Minato paused from his pacing and looked at both Jiraiya and Shikaku with a cold stare. Jiraiya could only count on one hand how many times he had seen his young friend look as frustrated as he did in that moment.

"I am _not_ doing this right now. Do you two understand? I'm _not_ doing it. I have both of the Senju's coming in tomorrow to most likely fire me, and you want to bicker over the fucking secretary? Fine. Go right ahead. But don't do it on my fucking time," Minato snarled. He let himself collapse into the chair behind his desk and leaned on his elbow as he rubbed his eyes. Jiraiya felt that twinge of guilt again when it dawned on him the amount of pressure Minato was under. He should have been a better friend, but how the hell was he supposed to do that when he was watching Minato make the same mistake that ruined Jiraiya's life?

Shikaku muttered a string of curses under his breath but didn't push the subject anymore. He pulled out his laptop and set it up next to the prior year's 10-K that sat on Minato's desk and began typing away.

Jiraiya looked at Minato. There were bags under his eyes, he was favoring his shoulder, and he was starting to go pale. He should have stopped and pulled his friend aside and offer him some welcome advice, but after taking one good look at Minato he realized it would have fallen on deaf ears.

So Jiraiya bit his tongue and pulled out his own laptop.

* * *

Nina should have left at five with Obito, but she had to tell Minato about Danzo. So she told him she was staying late to work on some stuff. Her eyes kept flickering to the clock. It was almost six o'clock now and she was getting anxious. Just about everyone had left the office, including Jiraiya who gave her a dirty look when he walked by, but Nina wouldn't let him scare her off. Not when Minato's job hung in the balance.

A little before six, Shikaku walked by the desk to leave, but paused when he saw her there. Her eyes flickered up to meet his and he looked at her with a frown.

"Everything okay?" She asked. Normally when Shikaku was leaving he would say something along the lines of 'see you tomorrow, Dimples', or something else. But he always called her by the nickname, even if it was just in passing.

Shikaku craned his neck down the hall before he looked back at her and said, "you staying late tonight?"

She resisted the urge to clear her throat and start fidgeting. Instead, she tried to put on her best poker face and said, "yeah. I'm a little behind and Obito asked me to order the binders at the end of the day so I ordered the right amounts of everything."

Shikaku cracked a smile, "sounds like him."

"You need something?" She asked, still wondering why he was acting weird.

Shikaku looked down the hall again, "do you have any time off this week or weekend? Maybe tomorrow or Friday? There's some things that I want to talk to you about."

Nina tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She worked every night up until next Tuesday.

"I have some time Saturday morning."

Shikaku nodded, "let's meet for breakfast Saturday morning then. There's a café in Uptown that's pretty good. It's on the corner of Kumo and tenth."

Still confused, Nina nodded. Shikaku said goodnight and left the building, leaving behind a confused Nina. What had that been about?

Around six-fifteen, Nina took a chance on everyone having left. She knew Minato was still there, as she didn't see him leave, and she was getting tired of waiting for him to go home. She had hoped to wait until he left so she could pull him aside and tell him what was going on, but at this rate, she might be there all night.

So Nina summoned all of her courage and walked down the hall where the lights had been dimmed and where Minato's office was. She could see light trickle from under the door and she took a deep breath, held it, and knocked.

When Minato had told her to come in, he sounded genuinely confused, probably at the fact that it was after hours and someone was still there.

Nina slipped in, letting the door close behind her, and found Minato sitting at his desk. His back was all the way slumped against his chair, he was rubbing his shoulder, and she noticed that he had removed his tie and left the first two buttons on his shirt open.

His blue eyes flickered in surprise when she came in but she didn't care. She marched right over to his desk and sat down across from him, holding her head high.

"I know you're busy and I know you're stressed. But this is important," she urged.

Minato, either too stressed or too exhausted, didn't say anything. He only nodded and looked at her as he leaned on his hand.

"Danzo is behind the law suit," she blurted. There was no point in beating around the bush after all. Not with so much at stake.

"Come again?" Minato said. His voice was rough, the way most people's were after they had just woken up from a night of sleep, and the sound sent chills up Nina's spine.

"Madara, my boss at Mangekyo, has been working with Danzo. I don't know what exactly is going on, but he's been meeting with him, and Madara told me that Danzo made him an offer he couldn't refuse. And to make it even worse, Madara Uchiha is one of the founders of Konoha Enterprises. He feels some type of way because he started the business with Hashirama Senju, so I think that Danzo is playing on that because why else would Madara work with such a scumbag and—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down," Minato said as he held up his hand. Nina felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. He leaned forward and Nina could smell the faint scent of his cologne. "What do you mean?"

Frustrated, Nina ran her hands through her hair, probably making a complete mess out of it and said, "Madara is working with Danzo. He told me all about how he and Hashirama started Konoha Enterprises and how bitter he is for getting pushed out. I asked him if whatever he was doing with Danzo had anything to do with The Akatsuki Group and you know what he said? He told me to go home," Nina explained.

Minato only kept his eyebrows furrowed, still looking perplexed, "he told you to go home?"

"Yes!" Nina shouted. But Minato didn't seem to get why this meant anything significant. Nina huffed and stood up quickly. She noticed the way his eyes raked down her body before quickly refocusing them on her face, but she didn't care. She had to make him understand.

"I don't see how this—"

"You don't know Madara, but I do. And I'm his favorite girl and it's no secret. Whenever I used to call him out on his bullshit or catch him in a lie, he would always tell me to go home or to go in the back or something else like that. He won't yell at me the way he will at any other employee, so he always just tells me to leave. When I asked if it had anything to the law suit, he told me to leave—which obviously means that Danzo is behind it!"

Nina was practically yelling now and she was actually starting to get hot from all of the arm movement, trying desperately to get her point across. Minato looked away from her and pinched the bridge of his nose in deep thought. She would have loved to know what he was thinking, that way she could have explained this again, but he was silent.

"Maybe I'm not doing a good enough job of explaining this," she muttered.

"No, no you are," Minato tried. "I honestly have been thinking for a while now that Danzo was behind everything, and if he's playing on Madara's emotions about the organization, I wouldn't be surprised because the guy's one hell of a manipulator. But Nina," Minato paused and pulled her into a gaze, "if what you're saying is true, how do I prove it?"

A wave of disappointment fell on Nina and she slowly lowered herself back into the chair across from Minato. She hadn't thought about that and now she felt like an idiot for bringing him information that he couldn't even use.

"Oh."

Minato looked at her and sighed, probably feeling just as useless as she did in that moment. Maybe she shouldn't have even told him anything because now she gave him some false sense of hope.

She thought of Madara telling her the story of building Konoha Enterprises from the ground up with his best friend. Surely, anyone who was close friends with Madara would know how prideful he was and how ruthless he was when it came to grudges. So what if there was some way to relay all of the information to Hashirama Senju?

In the middle of her thoughts, she noticed Minato going on his computer and pulling something up. She watched as he read it and highlighted a line of text and read it aloud.

"'Konoha Enterprises was founded by two college friends who had each been at the top of their respective classes, aiming to create a business that would balance old commonly accepted business practices with new ones, particularly those that centered around customer satisfaction and communication. With the ideas of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, Konoha Enterprises became a reality'. Wow it says so right here, and I never even knew that there was another founder."

Nina craned her neck to see the article Minato had pulled up on his computer and she felt a small victory, though it wasn't enough to get Minato out of trouble.

"If Hashirama was close friends with Madara, he would know just how…" She paused. What was the right word? " _Unforgiving_ he is. So… So what if we somehow let Hashirama know that Danzo is working with him? If they were such good friends, Hashirama would immediately be suspicious of Danzo working with Madara."

Minato seemed to be thinking it over. He was silent as he looked at his desk and in the heavy silence, Nina couldn't stop herself from thinking about her conversation with Kushina at lunch. Damnit, she should have told him about that conversation too.

"It's not Hashirama I'm concerned about. He'll listen to anything I say. It's Tobirama that I'm concerned about. He's probably about as forgiving as Madara is."

Nina sighed. Office politics made strip club politics look like a joke.

"So do we try to get Madara or Danzo to slip up?" Nina asked under her breath. She didn't want to go behind Madara's back, but what Danzo was doing was wrong and she couldn't let Minato lose his job because of Danzo being a shady character.

Minato looked up at her, "has Danzo been at the club?"

"Yeah," Nina said.

"Has he ever been a customer there?"

Nina thought about it. If he had been, he hadn't been one of her clients. She looked back at Minato before saying, "do you know if he likes blondes, brunettes, or redheads?"

Minato looked like he wanted to laugh but actually appeared to be considering it, "the last couple times we've had work parties he's tended to go for the redheads."

Nina pulled out her phone and typed out a text to Mei. She was the main redhead at Mangekyo, but she was also one of the best dancers there. So if he went for gingers, Mei would have been the one.

"If he's a client that's one thing. But if he's a client and has ever gotten a champagne room, he would have talked," Nina explained, eagerly awaiting Mei's texts. She looked away from her phone to see Minato cringing at the term 'champagne room'.

"A champagne room is just a nicer way of saying lap dance," Nina assured. She knew that the word sounded like something in a porno to someone who didn't know the industry. Minato nodded, but still looked mortified. It was that horrible look on his face that made Nina realize he already knew what a champagne room was because she was supposed to work one for his bachelor party.

Awkward.

"Do uh, people talk about business there?" Minato asked, clearing his throat as he did.

Nina hadn't done champagne rooms in a long time, but before she had sworn them off, she had been well acquainted with them, "you'd be shocked. The client almost always wants to screw the dancer and will talk about business as a way to impress her. It never works, but we might lead them on for a bigger tip," she admitted. Truthfully, she could have been an insider trader with all of the shit she had heard over the years.

"Wow," Minato muttered.

Nina looked down at her phone to see a text from Mei. She had asked the girl if she had any older clients recently, particularly one with bandages covering part of his face.

' _Ya. I think he_ _'_ _s one of Madara_ _'_ _s buddies_ _—_ _if you can even say Madara has friends. Y?_ _'_

' _Long story. Think you can get him into a champagne room?_ _'_

She waited once again for Mei's response, thankful that she could see the girl already typing back.

' _Looks like he_ _'_ _s celebrating something. So probably. What do u need?_ _'_

' _Try and see if he_ _'_ _ll talk about any new business acquisitions or law suits or coming into a lot of money. Get as much detail as possible_ _'_

Mei typed back that she would and Nina looked up at Minato, unable to hide her smirk.

"Mei says he's there and that she's going to try and get him into a champagne room. If she can get something good, you can casually bring it up in the meeting and put the spotlight on Danzo and make him sweat. I mean it's not the best plan, but it's something that will hopefully make the Senju's suspicious enough to look away from you."

She watched Minato sigh in relief and nod at every word she said. When she finished he let out a barely audible 'thank you'.

"I just wanted to help," she said softly.

"Can you text me if you get anything? I would say email it, but I don't want that kind of thing in the system," Minato said. She knew he had access to every employee's phone number in case there was something off hours that needed to be handled, but something about the request made her cheeks warm.

"Oh. Yeah. Here," Nina handed him her phone and when he took it, his fingers brushed hers, making her swallow hard.

He handed it back and she took the phone, trying to relax her shaking hands. She slowly stood up, feeling lightheaded and gave him a tight smile.

"Hopefully this helps."

"I think it will," he told her, standing up as well, probably to walk her to the door.

She focused on the door and tried to think about other things. Her father would be home and probably already drunk, but with any luck he would be passed out so she could have a quiet night and wait to hear back from Mei. Yeah, she would do that. Go home, take a hot shower, and then just relax for once in her life.

"Hey um," Minato started. Nina stopped, halfway to the door and turned over her shoulder to see him looking at the floor. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. I don't know what happened, but that was totally inappropriate. So yeah. I'm sorry."

He looked so young as he said it and Nina's stomach flipped. He looked young, and unsure of himself, and once again he was shifting from Mr. Namikaze and back to Minato right in front of her eyes.

"No, it's okay. It um… Takes two to tango— _oh God_ that was horrible," Nina said, covering her face as she nervously laughed at her cringe worthy response. She could hear Minato's laughs and she pulled her hands away and gaped at him. "Stop laughing at me!" She said through her own giggles.

"C'mon, that was awful," he said, still laughing. The smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle and Nina stopped laughing to pause and admire the small imperfection. So he may have been the CEO of Konoha Enterprises, but he was still just a young kid like her, trying to figure shit out.

"Okay Mr. Wonderful. You come up with a better response," she teased.

"Oh no. I'm not going to make a fool out of myself like you just did," he said, elbowing her in the ribs, eliciting a squeak from her.

"First you laugh at me and now you tickle me!" Nina shrieked, still grinning as she did. Minato snickered and put his hands up defensively.

"I had no idea you were ticklish! Honest mistake I swear," he wore a shit eating grin that made Nina stare at him and shake her head incredulously.

"What? Are you one of those freaks who aren't ticklish?" She said back.

"Should you really be calling your boss a freak?" Minato said, now smirking at her. She scoffed and poked him in the ribs, hoping for a reaction. He only grinned at her when there was no reaction and Nina rolled her eyes in spite of herself.

"You're a freak," she said back, biting back a smile in a way she knew only made her dimples more prominent.

"I could have you fired for that. It's harassment in case you didn't know," Minato said. His words were light and she could see him trying his hardest to repress a smile but failing miserably.

"I'm not scared of your empty threats," she remarked. Despite being in heels, she still had to look _up_ at Minato. With the heels on, she at least reached his chin, which way way better than when she was in flats and only reached his chest, but she still couldn't get over the smug look on his face when he looked _down_ to meet her eyes.

"That's because you have a Napoleon complex."

" _I do not!_ " Nina shrieked, slapping him lightly on the arm. The gesture probably caused her more pain than him though, as she noticed his biceps were rock hard.

"Now you've moved to physical harassment. Seriously? Do you want me to file an HR report?" He said, pretending to hold his arm in agony. Nina scowled at him but he only continued to smile which completely and totally disarmed her.

"You're hysterical," she started, going to the door and opening it. She then looked at him more seriously and said, "I'll let you know if Mei finds anything out."

"Thank you," he said as she walked out.

Nina went down the hallway, frowning at the dark lights and cracked her neck. Her skin was still tingling and her stomach was still doing flips, but this was good. She was able to go in there, tell him about Danzo and leave before anything bad could happen.

Mission accomplished.

She stopped at her desk and sat down at the computer chair, reaching for her purse and a few other items that were under the desk. It was usually a huge mess down there from her and Obito throwing their things there, so when she had to gather her stuff at the end of the day, it was a process that generally ended with her on the floor, trying to untangle her purse strap from the electrical cords.

Which is precisely what she was doing right now, cursing Obito for always throwing the cords on top of her stuff.

"Come on," Nina groaned, trying to undo the tangle. And after a few moments, it came free and Nina stood back up, jumping back when she saw Minato standing at the side of the desk.

"What are you? A ninja?" She remarked when she thought about how silent he had been.

"Nina," he said. Nina raised an eyebrow. He wasn't grinning like before when they were joking, and he had a serious look on his face with his eyes being half lidded.

"Everything okay?" She wasn't sure what could have possibly happened in the five minutes between when she left his office and when she was fighting with the electrical cords that made his mood shift so suddenly, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.

"I don't want to marry Kushina," he said under his breath. Nina blinked dumbly. Oh God. Not now. Please let them not have this conversation before his big meeting tomorrow.

"Okay," she said softly, "you're probably just stressed and—"

He didn't let her finish because just like last time, he cut her off by pressing his lips against hers. Only last time where everything was anxious and rushed and sloppy, this time his lips were soft and slow, and steadily moving against hers in smooth, deliberate movements.

She didn't even know that she had been kissing him back until she felt his hands on the small of her back, gently pulling her against his body.

Kissing him felt too good, and every nerve in her body was screaming, and her stomach was flipping, and her heart was beating so fast she thought it might have either burst from her chest or stopped all together.

He tasted like coffee and smelled like fading aftershave and cologne, and if she didn't know any better, she would have thought she had fallen in love with him right then and there.

Pulling away took every last ounce of willpower, but she managed to break the kiss, but noticed that his arms around her waist didn't let up.

"Minato, you're stressed. You're not thinking clearly," she tried, though her eyes kept flickering down to his lips. _God_ , she just wanted to keep kissing him.

Suddenly, he was smiling at her. A real, genuine, serene smile which made Nina weak in the knees.

"What's so funny?" she asked. She tried to sound angry when she said it, heaven knows she had the reputation for it, but instead it came across as soft and _weak_.

"You called me Minato," he told her as he removed one hand from her waist and brought the other to her cheek, kissing her once again.

She sighed against his lips and moved her hands to the back of his head, tangling her fingers in his hair. He kissed her deeper, sucking on her bottom lip and exploring her mouth with his tongue, and Nina was sure that if he hadn't had his arm around her waist, she would have fallen.

This was wrong. It was so wrong, but she couldn't control herself. It felt too right for it to be so wrong.

His lips moved from hers and instead began to caress her neck. This was the part where she remembered what the hell she was doing last time and told him to stop. Without his lips on hers, she had been able to think clearer, but this time she didn't have the same willpower.

He found the same spot he did last time, the spot on her neck that was just below her ear, that when he kissed, she let out a moan and arched her back. He only pulled her closer to him as he continued to kiss the spot. He kept one arm around her waist, keeping her steady and let his free hand trail down her back, going lower and lower, squeezing along the way, before he rested his hand on the bare skin of her thigh exposed from her skirt.

She pulled him back up to her lips and kissed him harder, biting down on his lower lip. He grunted and placed both hands on the back of her upper thighs and lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his hips.

She held herself up with ease, used to having to do it when she was on the pole at work, and pulled on his hair, which made him grunt a second time. She smirked against his lips and he gripped her tightly and stopped kissing her, but rested his forehead against hers.

"What's so funny?" he said back, though his voice was low and husky and Nina knew he could feel the gooseflesh cover her legs at the sound of his voice.

"You must like it rough," she said with a giggle.

He gave her a smirk and kissed her again, harder and more frantic like the first time. As he bruised her lips with his own, swallowing every whimper and moan she made, she was vaguely aware of him unzipping the back of her skirt.

She should have put an end to it right there but she didn't. She only released her legs from around him so she could stand again. When her feet were back on the ground, Minato had her pressed up against the wall as he kissed her and began to unbutton her blouse until her shirt was open and exposing her bra.

His hands traveled from her thighs to her waist where they pulled her skirt down, leaving her exposed. At some point, she also unbuttoned his shirt and he pulled it off for her so she could run her hands over his chest.

She then pulled away from his lips and kissed his neck as she undid his pants, pausing only to bite his ear, which made him groan and squeeze her harder. As she bit his ear, his hands came up to run all over her stomach, torso, and chest. And feeling his rough callused hands on her bare skin made her sigh into his neck, and suddenly he was touching her softer again and bringing her lips back to his so he could kiss her like he had all the time in the world.

Her skirt and shirt were on the floor, and his shirt was on the floor along with his pants when her phone rang.

"Ignore it," Minato breathed as he touched her everywhere and made her arch her body into his. She didn't need to be told twice, that was for damn sure. So she let it ring, and when it stopped, his hands were about to undo her bra when it started again.

Huffing, Nina pulled away to see who it was, rolling her eyes when it was her father.

"Daddy, there's Jack in the pantry," she snapped, wanting to bang her head against the wall she was currently pinned up against.

Minato huffed and instead of trying to distract her while she was on the phone, he only caressed her body with his hands and looked at every exposed inch of her, as if he were trying to memorize what she looked like, occasionally stopping to kiss her shoulder as he did.

Nina's eyes fluttered shut at the soft kisses on her shoulder, and she braced herself for a cranky response from her father. But instead of her father giving her a grumbled response, she heard what sounded like him gasping.

"Doll?" he asked from the other line. Nina frowned at the thickness in her father's voice.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I need you to come get me," her father breathed out, choking on his words as he did, as if he were crying.

"Where are you?" She asked, putting her hand on Minato's arm, which made him stop what he was doing. She didn't have to look at him to know that his blue eyes were searching her face for any sign of distress.

"They're trying to kill me!" Her dad shouted, making her pull her phone away from her ear.

" _Who?_ " Nina asked, disappointed that she would be lying if she said this was the first time she had received one of these calls from him.

" _The stiffs!_ " He screamed.

The first day her father showed up at her apartment came back to haunt her, when he told her about the trouble he had gotten himself into. In his words, some stiff found out about the kind of work he did and hired him to steal something. When he finished the job, he asked for payment and they laughed at him and told him they didn't pay thugs. Her dad had tried to fight the guy who hired him in the first place, but he got his ass beat and was told that they would come for him when the time came.

Well the time came…

"Where. Are. You?" Nina asked again, trying to refrain from yelling. She pulled away from Minato and slipped back into her clothes.

" _I don't know, okay?_ I'm hiding in some parking garage downtown. It's by some club that all the stiffs go to," he shouted.

Nina squeezed her eyes shut. Whether or not she believed her father was one thing. Who knew if someone was trying to kill him. For all she knew, he might have just been having some psychotic break, but she couldn't leave him alone in such a state.

"I'm coming to get you. Don't move," she warned, struggling to zip her skirt back up. As she struggled, she felt Minato's steady hands zip her back up and her heart broke.

"Hurry," her father whispered as the line went dead.

She looked back at Minato to see that he had pulled his pants back up and was buttoning his shirt. She should have felt guilty for what they were about to do, but couldn't find the strength.

"What's wrong?" He asked with his eyebrows knitting together in worry.

"It's my dad. I don't know. I think he's having some kind of psychotic break. I have to go get him," she said. She turned and eagerly grabbed her stuff to get away from Minato and any awkwardness from the situation before it could have occurred, but his hand was on her wrist before she could run away.

"You don't have a car," he said softly.

"I have a bus pass and two good legs," she remarked, already feeling her defensive old self begin to emerge.

"Stop. I'll drive. You can get to him quicker that way," Minato said. His tone left no room for arguments and Nina swallowed hard. He didn't appear shaken up or even at all bothered by the fact that he was just cheating on his fiancée with her, and Nina hated herself for it even more than she thought possible.

"Okay," she said under her breath. Her pride would just have to take a hit she decided. It was more important that she get to her father quickly than it was for her to avoid Minato.

Minato walked back down the hall to his office, presumably to grab his keys, and in the time he was gone, Nina felt every emotion possible. She was embarrassed, shameful, concerned, worried, anxious, and everything in between. And when Minato came back out, keys in hand, she was about to have a full blown panic attack.

"Stop," Minato said softly, standing directly in front of her and resting his hand on the small of her back.

"Stop what?" She muttered, trying to move away from him, though his hand kept her in place.

"Freaking out," he told her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Nina frowned at him, and instead of Minato saying something she expected, like maybe saying how he would talk to Kushina or something, he merely leaned down and pecked her briefly on the lips.

"What are you doing?" She stuttered, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"I just kissed you. Want me to do it again?" He asked, this time giving her a smirk that made the corners of his eyes crinkle just enough that Nina knew it was real.

"No, I do not! You're engaged and—" he kissed her again. It was quick, but still soft enough to make her head spin.

"The more you freak out, the more I'm going to do it," he warned with a twinkle in his eyes.

Instead of asking how he didn't feel awkward or stupid or like a complete asshole like she did, she kept her mouth shut and let him guide her to his car.

Okay so fine. She was about five seconds away from having sex with her friend's fiancé. She was a horrible human being, a home wrecker, and any other insult someone could have come up with.

But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was the fact that her dad was having a psychotic breakdown in some parking garage downtown and that he needed her.

Or maybe he was right, and was about to be hunted down.

* * *

This is slowly coming to an end! Maybe three more chapters or so!

Thank you to everyone who left a review! I love hearing what you guys think! (:


	16. UPDATE

**January 28, 2018**

Hey guys! So I'm just leaving an update here to let ya'll know that there may (or may not) be any updates for a good chunk of this semester (probably not until at least March). I'm in my last semester of university and I major in Accounting and Taxation. So needless to say, I have a lot of heavy work that I do over the semester. I also work full time, take an extra academic class, and take 2 graduate level tax classes as well.

I know that none of this is interesting to anyone, but I just wanted to let everyone know that there are legitimate reasons for my lack of updates. Honestly, every time I disappear it's almost always because I'm doing something school related. But don't worry! The story will DEFINITELY come to a completion! I have 2 chapters already written, they just haven't been edited (and the editing is what takes up most of my time). And since I'm so close to graduation, I have to really focus on my grades so I'm able to get my grad school scholarship (hoping to get a Master's in Taxation!).

Also, I wanted to kind of gauge the overall feel among the readers, so if you could answer the following question by either private messaging me or leaving a review, I would really appreciate it.

Would you rather me post each new chapter as it is finished, granted there would be longer time gaps between chapters if this was the case, OR would you rather me wait until the story is completed and post the rest of the story... All at once?

Basically around mid-end of March what I would do is post one new chapter every day until the story is completed. So it's about 5 or so chapters, so there would be a straight week of daily chapters.

What do you think? I'll go with whatever the general consensus is.

Anyway, I just wanted to give everyone an update and not just disappear like I have a tendency to do lol. Thank you so much for reading this story and for your saint-like patience! Please let me know what you would prefer as far the updates go! Thanks!


	17. Chapter 16

Nina had been silent in Minato's car, texting her father on and off, trying to get a better idea of where he was. Her father told her he was in some parking garage, downtown by a club all the "stiffs" went to. And after enough back and forth with him, and with the help of Minato, she narrowed it down to two locations. Kaguya's, as it was the most popular bar and club downtown, and another place called Amegakure.

"I've never even heard of Amegakure," Nina said.

"That's because it's where the businessmen with _less than ideal_ ethics go," Minato answered, heading for Kaguya's first.

Nina sighed, texting her father to see if he would at least go into a bar where she could find him. He responded in less than ten seconds with, _'_ _do you want me to die?_ _'_

"Do you think he's really in danger?" Minato asked.

Nina rubbed the back of her head, "I don't know. My father isn't exactly the cleanest guy to put it lightly. He used to do a lot of work for gangs—used to be on the Yakuza's payroll at some point too." Nina paused when she heard the breath go out from Minato's lungs. "But after he served a couple years and did one last job they left him alone. And… And I know he's in pretty deep with some stiffs—"

"Stiffs?" Minato said, turning to look at her in confusion for a quick second before his blue eyes returned to the road.

"Anyone with a white collar job who works for a corporation," Nina answered, smirking in spite of herself. By her father's standards, she supposed she would be a stiff now. "And it really is bad. He's got some pretty powerful people upset with him, but for all I know he could be having a psychotic break. That's happened before too," Nina explained. She grimaced when she remembered the phone call she received at fifteen, saying that _'they wanted him dead'_. She got her friend to drive her to where he was at the time, only to find her father having a mental break from all the drugs he had been on.

"If you don't mind me asking, where was your mother through all of this?" Minato shot her another look, one that was a cross between concern and curiosity. Nina tried to pay no mind to it. At least it wasn't pity. That was the look she couldn't stand.

"Oh she stopped speaking to me when I turned sixteen. She never really forgave me when I told the judge I would rather live with my dad instead of her," Nina paused, playing the memory back in her head, "so on my birthday she told me she was moving somewhere with a beach and warmer weather, but didn't tell me or my dad where. So hell if I know where she is," Nina answered. She had figured by now she would be numb to the pain of it, but recounting the story left Nina feeling empty

"I'm sorry," Minato said softly.

"Don't be. It's no great loss."

The rest of the ride was silent, and after a few minutes Minato had pulled into a street spot in front of the parking garage across the street from Kaguya's. Nina pulled out her phone and called her father to let him know she was there, but he didn't answer, so she texted him instead.

' _At Kaguya_ _'_ _s. Come meet me_ _'_

Nina got out of the car and headed into the garage. She could hear Minato directly behind her, and was unable to help herself from thinking about earlier in the office. God, what if Kushina found out? Whether or not the redhead wanted to get married was irrelevant, because Nina had been sneaking behind her friend's back…

"Daddy?" Nina called, looking around helplessly.

Minato kept a close eye on her as they walked around.

"Mr. Sato?" Minato tried, looking passed cars.

"Call him Kai," Nina offered. Her father never responded to 'Mr. Sato', saying that it made him sound like a stiff, and over his dead body would he be one of those men he hated so much.

Nina pulled out her phone to try and call him again. She kept her head down, trying to stay calm, but he didn't answer. Choosing to give up, Nina walked out from behind the staircase that led to the upstairs of Kaguya's, and headed in Minato's direction. They would just have to try Amegakure instead.

As Nina walked closer to Minato, she came to a halt when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

Nina turned around to see a man taller than her, with orange hair, three piercings going down the center of his nose, and two piercings on the bottom of his lip. He wore a black jacket that had red clouds on it and Nina instinctively took a step back, trying to shake his hand off her shoulder.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

He slowly tilted his head to the side, analyzing her face as he did. Nina swallowed hard. Something wasn't right.

"Your name wouldn't happen to be Nina, would it?"

The man continued to analyze her face, as if he was mentally trying to match her to a picture or a memory, but did so as if he couldn't quite be sure.

Nina looked over her shoulder where Minato was already closing the gap between them, his eyebrows furrowed together. He must have gotten the same vibe she did.

"No," Nina answered.

"Is there a problem here?" Minato asked. He stood beside her and gave the orange haired man a murderous look. But even with Minato's murderous look, the stranger's hand remained clamped down on her shoulder.

"My name is Katia," Nina told him her stage name with ease, careful to not hesitate.

The man searched her face again, and at once, his strange violet colored eyes connected with hers. The intensity at which he held her gaze would have made any other person look away in fear, but Nina had spent years in staring contests with Madara Uchiha. And hell if she cared that this man looked like some Yakuza hitman. He had nothing on Madara.

The man said nothing, but his hand let up and he walked away without saying a word. Nina exhaled in response and she could feel Minato's steady head on the small of her back, already pulling her away.

"Come on," he told her gruffly.

"It's fine," Nina tried to argue, but Minato wasn't hearing it. He pulled her with him quickly, and hastily opened the door of his car and shut it the second she was inside.

"Who was that guy?" Minato demanded, locking the doors of his car and starting it up, looking between his windows numerous times as if to check for someone watching.

"I don't know, but he knew my name," Nina answered. It wasn't until he started driving away did Nina realize her hands were shaking. She could feel it in her bones. Something wasn't right, and deep down she knew that when her dad said someone was trying to kill him, he really meant it this time.

"I'm taking you home," Minato stated. His tone left no room for arguments.

"Like hell," Nina snapped. "If my father is hiding from _that_ guy in a parking garage somewhere, then we need to get him or else I'm going to be paying for a funeral!"

"You don't understand," Minato said, his voice rising. "That guy's jacket had The Akatsuki Group's logo on it."

Nina turned to stare at Minato in disbelief, " _what?_ "

"If Danzo really is behind the lawsuit, and if he orchestrated the whole thing, wouldn't it make sense if he was working with the guys in The Akatsuki Group?"

"What are you trying to say?" She asked quietly.

"What exactly is your father involved with right now?" Minato asked. He got on the highway and headed in the direction of The Valley. Nina rubbed her eyes and let out a sigh, trying to recall the story her father told her.

"All he said was that he was hired on to do a job for some stiffs. He didn't say for who and he didn't specify what the job was. All he said was that they had everything set up, and all he basically had to do was show up and pick something up. And supposedly when he asked for the payment they laughed at him and told him he wouldn't need money where he was going. So he came to me for help," Nina explained. When her father showed up and asked for help, she figured he meant financially. Ever since he got out of prison Nina had been sending him money, hence why she lived where she did and worked the hours she did on top of it all. But what if he came to her hoping she could hide him from whoever he did work for?

"Nina, what if Danzo is the 'stiff' that hired him?" Silence hung in the air between them and Nina couldn't find anything to say. "If he really is behind the lawsuit, wouldn't it make sense that he's working with The Akatsuki Group and that he wanted to cover everything up? He's been wanting to be CEO since the company started and Hiruzen says—never mind. But I wouldn't put it past him to—"

"Hiruzen says what?" Nina asked.

"Nothing," Minato answered hastily, switching lanes on the highway.

"Minato, my father has guys trying to _kill_ him. Hiruzen says _what?_ " She snapped.

Minato groaned and ran his hand through his hair, "before I was hired on there was this guy who worked at Konoha named Shisui. He was working with Hiruzen on some new product called the Sharingan, but Shisui got sick and went on a leave of absence to get treatment. While he was away, Danzo supposedly stole the project from him and… Well… No one knows what happened to Shisui, but he never came back. Hiruzen thinks that Danzo blackmailed him or threatened him or something because he sent an email to Jiraiya giving all rights to the project to Danzo along with any bonuses that would have come from it and said he was quitting."

Nina rubbed her forehead with her thumb, "so he has a history of doing this kind of thing."

"I don't know if it's true," Minato tried.

Nina couldn't even think of a response, as her phone started going off in her pocket. She pulled it out, praying it was her father. But she was only greeted with disappointment when Madara's name came up on her screen.

"Yeah?" Nina asked, answering the phone.

"Your dad is here," Madara's voice said in a deadpan

Nina's eyes widened. So he was alive and more importantly, he was _safe_.

" _Oh thank God_ ," Nina said with a breath and holding her stomach as she did. She could feel some of the tension leave her shoulders and she was already shooting Minato a look that she hoped conveyed the message of her father's whereabouts.

"I need you to come get him. He's being a goddamn terror," Madara griped.

Nina, in any normal circumstances would have been pissed off to hear that, but with all the anxiety she had been dealing with, she actually laughed, probably like a maniac if she was being honest with herself.

"So glad you think it's amusing. I mean it. Pick him up or I kick him out."

Nina nodded even though she knew Madara couldn't see her, "be right there."

Madara only grunted before the line went dead and she was turning completely in her seat to face Minato. His blue eyes shifted between her and the road and he was raising his eyebrows in response.

"We need to go to Mangekyo. My dad is there."

Minato shot her a look, "Danzo is there. Should we really risk it?"

Nina gaped at him, "it's my father! Yes, we should!"

Minato held his free hand up, "I'm just saying," he said quickly, probably hoping to avoid an argument.

"Take this exit up here," Nina said, gesturing to the one that would take them back downtown and to Mangekyo. She sighed. Minato had a point. It's not like they could just waltz into the club with Danzo there. He would blow a gasket if he saw Minato in there with her. And Nina knew her father. There was no way in hell he would leave the club alone and meet them somewhere. Someone was going to have to go in there and get him.

"What if Danzo sees one of us?" Minato asked.

"He won't," Nina said. She noticed Minato shooting a look at her and she withheld a sigh. "I think I have an idea."

Nina held her breath as she pulled the number up in her contacts and prayed for a miracle.

"Catwoman," the voice greeted.

Nina let her breath go, "hey there. Any chance you wanna be my Batman tonight?"

Nina's eyes landed on Minato's hands clenching around the steering wheel when the flirtatious tone and words left her mouth. She bit down on her bottom lip to hide her smile. There was something oddly satisfying about seeing Minato jealous.

"Mm," Fugaku hummed from the other end of the phone. "I'm heading into work now since I'm closing bartender. If I'm gonna be your Batman, it's gotta be quick."

"Are you in Naka or downtown?"

"Downtown."

"Perfect!" Nina said with a grin. She pointed at a street for Minato to turn onto, and turned her attention back to her phone call. "My old man is in the middle of a nervous breakdown, saying that someone put a hit on him," Nina paused, really hoping that she didn't sound as psychotic as she thought she did in that moment. "He's perfectly fine though! But he went to Mangekyo looking for me and I'm not there. I won't be able to get to him for a little bit. Any chance you could swing by and pick him up?"

"Old man like…" Fugaku trailed off and Nina snickered.

"Old man like father," Nina answered.

"Ah," Fugaku said. "I can pick him up, but what do you want me to do with him? I can't bring him to Kaguya's"

"Just bring him outside the club. I'll be there to pick him up, I swear."

"Are you in some kind of trouble, Catwoman? This sounds like some Bane shit," Fugaku remarked. Nina couldn't help but actually laugh under her breath at the comic book references. With how the past few weeks had been going, she would take any relief where she could get it.

"Now would Catwoman get into shit with Bane? I mean really. If you're Batman, that's your area," Nina said back. She noticed Minato's knuckles turning white from him clenching the steering wheel, and she frowned, placing a hand on his arm so he would ease up a bit.

"True," Fugaku said. "Mangekyo is about two blocks ahead of me. I'll run in and get him for you. Is there someone I should ask?"

Nina doubted Madara would have been around to deal with her father. He probably handed him off to Ay or Bee.

"When you walk in there should be a bouncer at the front door if there's no girl performing. He'll have braided light hair and glasses. That's Bee. Tell him you're picking up Katia's old man. And if he's not there because someone is on stage, go to the bar and ask for Ay and tell him the same thing."

"Take it the name is for performance purposes?"

"And safety," Nina replied.

"All right. One old man coming up. I'll text you when I get him."

Nina sighed, "Fugaku, thank you."

She could hear the smile in Fugaku's voice when he responded with, "what's the point in being Batman if I can't rescue Catwoman's old man from Bane?"

Nina laughed and thanked him again before hanging up. She then pointed for a side street for Minato to pull down where they would be able to see Mangekyo from just across the street. From where they were, they'd be able to see when Fugaku got there and when he brought her dad out.

"Who was that?" Minato asked.

"Jealous?" Nina teased. Minato gave her a half hearted smirk, and even though Nina found it endearing, she couldn't dwell on it because she was picking up on how exhausted he looked.

"I called a friend. He's going to go in and bring my dad out. Then I'll go run across the street and drag him into the car one way or another. That way Danzo won't see either of us."

"Perfect," Minato said.

Nina stared at the street and waited to see Fugaku go in the club. Everything made sense. If Danzo set everything up to frame Minato to get him fired and try to steal the position, then why wouldn't he go through such extreme lengths such as work with the opposing company, hire someone like her father to steal the trade secret, and then dispose of him so no one would know about all the illegal shit that was going on? If the only people who knew about the lie were Danzo and whoever it was that was working with him from The Akatsuki Group, there would never be any reason to fear being found out… But if the criminal who actually picked up the trade secret was still around, who was to say that the criminal wouldn't hold onto that information as a barter tool?

It wouldn't be the first time her father got into deep shit that left him with a bounty on his head. And that man in the parking garage who stopped Nina and knew her name and her face… If he was hunting her father, it only made sense that he would know her by association.

"You're freaking out," Minato pointed out.

"How do you know?" Nina said back.

Minato took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers which made Nina swallow hard. He then he gave her a soft smile and her heart thumped away in her chest.

"Because you get a certain look."

Nina pursed her lips and squeezed Minato's hand, "I think my dad may be the key to all of this."

Minato nodded, "I think so too."

Nina looked at him and those blue eyes were on hers, and before she knew it, Minato was closing the gap between them and cradling her face, kissing her soft and slow. It was pathetic how quickly she could turn into putty in his hands, but it was the reality nonetheless.

But then he was pulling back, "sorry, I had to."

Nina smiled in spite of herself and felt butterflies in her stomach when Minato returned the look.

She wanted to say something, but didn't want to ruin the tender moment. So she instead distracted herself by looking ahead, just in time to see Fugaku enter the club.

"That was Fugaku," Nina said. She looked at Minato as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go wait."

Minato frowned, "can't I go with you in case some creep shows up again?"

Nina shook her head, "unless you want someone to see you, no."

He definitely wanted to argue with her, but she was already slipping out of the car and jaywalking across the street. She stood outside of the club for a minute or so, and then Fugaku was emerging with her father behind him, who was yelling at Fugaku.

"Daddy, stop!" Nina scolded, walking up to the both of them.

Her father looked at her and let out an overdramatic sigh of relief, "it's about goddamn time!"

Nina ignored him and looked at Fugaku, "thank you."

Fugaku frowned when he looked at her father, "I normally would say no problem, but he was… Um."

Nina looked at her dad who was glowering something fierce and then turned her attention back to Fugaku, "I completely understand."

Fugaku looked at the time on his phone before saying, "I gotta go. And hey, you still owe me that drink."

Nina cracked a smile, "Next time. Now I gotta get him home to drink all of my whiskey."

Fugaku nodded and winked at her as he went on his way to make it to Kaguya's in time while Nina grabbed her father's arm and ushered him across the street and into the back seat of Minato's car.

"Really, Doll? This guy again?"

Nina groaned and lightly banged her head on the back of the seat as Minato started to drive in the direction of her apartment.

"Daddy, stop."

She watched as Minato looked at her father through his rearview mirror but hardly paid him any mind and focused on driving instead.

"Hmph," her father muttered.

Nina turned around in her seat so she could look at her father directly, "the people who are after you. Did one of them have red hair and three nose piercings and some lip piercings and weird violet eyes? As if he was wearing contacts?"

Her father narrowed his eyes at her and he crossed his arms across his small chest, "how did you know that?"

Minato sucked in a breath and Nina frowned, "because that guy came up to me and knew my name."

"You fuckin' serious?" Her father hissed. Nina nodded and pursed her lips, and her father was shaking his own head and rubbing his hands over his face in disbelief, "those motherfuckers _swore_ they wouldn't include you."

Nina looked at Minato, but he was focused on the road and frowning at the words that were coming out of her father's mouth.

"Daddy, I need to know what work you were doing."

" _No_ ," her father hissed without missing a beat, "this information could get you hurt."

Nina should have seen that coming, if anything it had been a repeat of one time he got in too deep with the Yakuza. But the words still made her want to bash her head into a wall. Her father might have held the key to saving Minato's job, but he wasn't going to give it up without a fight.

"This information could save an innocent man," Nina was careful with her word choice. If she mentioned that it could have saved Minato's job, her father would have gone on some rant about stiffs and how they didn't deserve his help. But if she used a different word, he might have been more forgiving.

Her father sighed and grabbed her hand, "Doll, this is serious stuff. I don't want you involved."

Nina winced, "I already am."

It was her father's turn to wince, and then he was wiping his face again and letting his head hang low as his shoulders slumped forward.

"Does this involve people from The Akatsuki Group?" Minato's voice broke the heavy silence and Nina shifted in her seat, praying that her father had some answers for them.

Her father looked up and met Minato's gaze through the rearview mirror. He then broke it off to look at Nina's hand instead, which he still had a tight grip on.

"Actually, yeah. I had to pick up something from some of those guys. Seemed pretty important too since it was in a locked briefcase. Some movie shit," her father explained. "But I never saw what it was. I dropped it off to some stiffs and that was it. Never saw their faces. And now I've got Nagato's guys up my ass and—"

" _Nagato?_ " Minato blurted, his blue eyes doubling in size.

Nina watched as her father narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Minato and snap at him, "how the hell do you know Nagato?"

Minato was suddenly pulling off onto the side of the road and putting his four ways on so he could turn around and look at Nina's father directly.

"Nagato is the CEO of The Akatsuki Group," Minato deadpanned.

Nina's father's eyes continued to narrow as they shifted between her and the blonde CEO who was beside her, "Nagato is the boss of an organized crime unit. Always has been. Came onto the scene twenty some years ago."

Minato was shaking his head and pulling out his phone, and a moment later, he had a photo of a man with long red hair and those weird violet eyes that he was showing her father.

"Is this the Nagato you're talking about?" Minato asked.

Her father looked at the picture for a long moment and then leaned back to better look at Minato instead, "yeah… Yeah it is."

Minato rubbed his head and looked at his phone in visible distress. Nina's eyes fell. If the CEO of The Akatsuki Group was the leader of an organized crime unit then what did that mean for her father?

"Nagato took over when his brother Yahiko was gunned down and killed. He's been the leader of The Six Paths of Pain crime group for as long as anyone can remember," her father said when Minato grew silent.

"How does someone like that end up the CEO of a growing corporation?" Nina mumbled under her breath. Minato shook his head and pocketed his phone with a heavy sigh. "Minato, surely that means something. If these claims are dependent on what a man like him says, then why would anyone believe him?"

"They would believe him because he's fuckin' Nagato," her father cut in. "I don't know what the hell you're going on about, Doll, but nobody crosses Nagato. Fuckin' _nobody_."

Nina squeezed her eyes shut, trying to compose herself and then looked at her father, "but you did, because now you're obviously on his hit list."

Her father scoffed, "Nagato don't really give a shit about me. He's got a hit on me because whatever asshole I did the job for asked for the hit. If that guy backed off, so would Nagato. He's only doin' it as a favor. I've done enough shit for that guy for him to actually be in my corner. He even apologized when he told me I was done for."

"So you've met with him?" Minato pressed.

"No I didn't meet with him. Have you been listening to a fuckin' word I've said?" Her father snapped. "He's the goddamn head of The Six Paths of Pain! You don't meet with someone like that. You get a message delivered."

"What did the message say?" Nina asked softly.

Her father looked at her with sad eyes, "told me that he was sorry he had to do it, but that my employer wanted me dead and that his hands were tied."

Nina let out a heavy sigh as she looked down. The stress from the lawsuit and Minato's job set aside, Nina couldn't bear the thought of life without her father. Sure, he was a giant pain in the ass. But he was _her_ pain in the ass, and one of the few people in Nina's life that still loved her and still put up with her. Without her father…

Nina would have no one.

"I'm sorry, Doll," her father said, squeezing her delicate hand in his own small one.

"Kai," Minato said, grabbing her father's attention, "I think I know who your employer is, and if it who I think, then he's got me under his thumb too."

Nina looked up and watched her father raise his eyebrows at Minato.

"How?"

"He's framing me for a lawsuit with The Akatsuki Group, which Nagato is the CEO of. I'm willing to bet that this man is the one who hired you."

Her father was skeptical, "and why is that?"

"Because this man works for my company that I'm the CEO of. He's been trying to get my position for years, and he's orchestrated this whole lawsuit as a way to perform a hostile takeover of the company and to get my job. A hostile takeover could cost hundreds of people their jobs and it sounds like your life too… I'm willing to bet that he hired you, had you pick up the trade secret from The Akatsuki Group and then bring it back to him, where he could move forward with his hostile takeover plan. It would bring him and Nagato millions of dollars as well as control of a multi-billion-dollar corporation.

"But the only loose end in the plan is you. If anyone found out that you picked up something from The Akatsuki Group during the same time the trade secret was acquired by my company and by Danzo's guys, then the whole thing would come out as one big giant fraud because the timing and the associations would be too convenient. That's why he wants to have you taken care of, and he can't do that, that's not his area. So what does he do instead? Get Nagato to do it since he's already a criminal."

Minato's words hung in the air and Nina looked at her father. It made sense when Minato put it all into perspective, and judging from the way her father's eyebrows were furrowing, he also thought it made sense.

"Well that's all fine and dandy but what the hell does it mean if I can't keep my goddamn life?" Her father bit back.

"If you can identify who you gave the information to—"

"I already said I didn't see their faces," her father retorted.

"You had to have seen _something_. Maybe you heard a voice or recognized a building or…" Minato trailed off. It became clear that he had no idea either. And without her father able to identify anyone, this information about Nagato did them no good.

"A car," her father said after a long moment of silence.

"What do you mean?" Nina asked.

Her father looked between her and Minato, "I dropped off the shit in a parking lot, but I knew the car because it was really fuckin' nice. A black Porsche with all the bells and whistles. Chrome wheels, turbo, you name it. You'd know that car if you saw it."

Nina didn't drive to work, so she never saw the vehicles in the parking lot, so she turned Minato, hoping he had some sort of recollection.

His forehead creased in concentration as he tried to recall and then huffed, pushing his bangs out of his face, "I think I might know it but I can't be sure. I have my own parking spot so I never really look around at the cars because I'm never looking for a space."

"Well you'll just have to look tomorrow morning," Nina said.

Minato nodded in agreement but was silent.

"Aren't you engaged?" Her father asked when the silence stretched on, staring at Minato with a curious look on his face. Nina groaned and rubbed her forehead, turning back around in her seat to ignore him. Minato huffed as well and started driving again but didn't dignify her father with a response.

"Mm. Well that answers that."

* * *

Minato dropped Nina and her father off at her apartment, and she promised him that she would let him know if she heard back from Mei. Minato thanked her and waited for her father to go inside. He then took her hand in his and told her that they would talk about what happened earlier at the office after the big meeting. Nina, while equal parts ashamed and embarrassed of her actions, nodded and got butterflies in her stomach at the thought. She wanted Minato for herself. She had come to terms with that. But she didn't want to ruin Kushina's marriage, and if she was a better person she would have backed off. But she was too frazzled from everything that had gone on to be able to think better.

So she promised to give herself until the big meeting. After that, then she would either come clean to Kushina or tell Minato to. Because she couldn't continue on doing the same shit. Not anymore. Not after tonight.

She then went into her apartment, said goodnight to her father, promising that they would figure something out, and then collapsed into bed, ready to pass out, when her phone buzzed with a text from Mei.

' _ **Old man wouldn't talk business. Just tried to get me to go home with him.'**_

Nina's heart sank.

' _ **Nothing? At all? Didn't even mention coming into a huge amount of money soon?'**_

She stared at her phone, eagerly watching the little bubbles on the screen that indicated Mei was typing out a text to her.

' _ **Nothing babe. Like I said, tried to take me home and that was it.'**_

Nina groaned and rubbed her eyes. So much for her great idea of going to Mei to get some information on Danzo. Maybe the old man was smarter than he looked? Or maybe he just didn't want to jinx himself before the meeting? But whatever it was, it completely screwed Minato over, and Nina's stomach dropped at the thought.

Sighing and wallowing in her own self pity, Nina got up from her bed and sauntered into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She showered, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then stopped by the living room to see her father curled up on her couch, already asleep with the bottle of Jack on the floor. Nina didn't even bother putting it away. She just walked back to her bedroom and lied down, frowning when she saw that she had another text from Mei.

' _ **And I hate to say it, but old man doesn't need ANY $$$'**_

Nina raised her eyebrow. Sure, Mei was probably right, but why did she go so far as to mention that?

' _ **Why do you say that?'**_

Several minutes went by, leaving Nina in suspense when she finally got a response from Mei.

' _ **Shoulda seen the car he drove.'**_

* * *

When Nina came into work the next morning, she was surprised at the eerie calm in the office. Everyone had gotten there early, including Obito of all people, and she double checked the time on her phone to make sure that she wasn't late.

"Nervous?" Obito asked when she sat down next to him.

"Should I be?" Nina said back. She didn't even know what the Senju brothers looked like, but the level of nervousness and anxiety in the atmosphere made the air so thick she could cut it with a knife. Obito tried to shrug casually, but ended up rubbing the back of his neck in the process.

"Hashirama is nice enough," Obito said. Nina narrowed her eyes. That wasn't the first time she had heard something similar. Even when she had to take notes for Minato's conference call with the brothers, Hashirama had been the flexible one.

"Is Tobirama really that bad?" Nina muttered.

"He's not bad per say, he's just… Very _particular_ about things," Obito said, practically grimacing as he spoke. Nina fought back a sigh. Even Madara had said he didn't like the younger Senju brother, making Nina even more nervous than she thought possible. And it sure as hell didn't help that she hadn't heard back from Minato, so for all she knew he didn't even get her text. But it wasn't like she could just go up to him the minute he walked through the doors and ask if he saw her text. With the way Jiraiya was giving her dirty looks, she doubted that would help anything. So she could only hope that he saw it and would be able to confront Danzo. For both his sake and her father's…

"Ah," she said.

"Yeah, everyone is walking on eggshells."

Nina sighed and looked at Obito. For once, the steady stream of emails came to a halt. Neither she nor Obito had anything in their inboxes, and the schedules of the the executives had been cleared for the entire day for the meeting. The morning was booked for a meeting consisting of Minato, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and the Senju Brothers, while the afternoon was the going to consist of the entire Board of Directors.

The office was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

"Is everyone here?" Nina asked.

"Oh yeah," Obito answered immediately, holding his coffee cup to his lips. "Mr. Namikaze got in at 6am."

Nina swallowed at that and her heart hit the floor. So much for being able to talk to him on his way into the office. _Christ_. After everything last night, the least he could do was reassure her that he got her text about what Mei said.

"Well I'm going to make myself some coffee. Does he need any?" She asked as she stood up. She figured he would. Minato drank coffee in the morning like it was water, and that would have been the perfect opportunity to talk to him.

"Actually—"

Obito's voice got caught in his throat as the doors opened to reveal two tall figures entering the office. Nina froze, still standing behind the desk with Obito, and felt her breath get stuck in her throat.

Obito's hand wrapped around her wrist quickly and pulled her back into her computer chair.

The two men walked up to the front desk and Nina wanted to avert her eyes, but she couldn't. She could just feel every bit of anxiety pour out of Obito beside her that she felt like she was stuck in quicksand and couldn't move. If Obito was this nervous, how in the actual fuck was she supposed to feel?

"Good morning, Obito!" The first man greeted with a warm smile that crinkled the skin at the corner of his eyes. He had long brown hair that went all the way down his back, deeply tanned skin, dark eyes, and wore a gray suit with a dark red tie.

Nina could hear Obito swallow beside her, but he offered the man a smile nonetheless, "Good morning, Mr. Senju."

"And who might you be?" The man with long brown hair asked, shifting his attention to Nina. She shifted in her chair and reached deep to access that stage confidence that came with being a stripper, and in an instant, she was giving him an easy stage smile that she knew drew attention to her dimples.

"I'm Nina Sato, the new admin," she introduced.

"It's about time we got Obito some help," he said, still smiling at her. He held out his hand and Nina took it with the firmest grip she could muster. Surprisingly enough, his hands were callused and rough. Those were hands of a working man, not of a corporate executive.

"I'm Hashirama Senju," he said after he let her hand go.

"Pleasure," she said, still smiling. Nina could have guessed that this was Hashirama from his pleasant nature. She figured from the nervousness that poured off Obito that the two of them were the Senju Brothers, and since everyone said Hashirama was the nice one, it only made sense.

"Obito," the other brother greeted.

Nina's eyes flickered to Tobirama Senju. The man's looks seemed to match his reputation, as there was no humor in his face. His short hair was snow white, despite him appearing rather young, he was much paler than his brother, his eyes were an odd reddish color, and there were three scars on his face, one on each cheek and one on his chin.

"Mr. Senju," Obito said, his voice cracking in an unmanly way.

Tobirama's eyes then met Nina's, and she suddenly felt the need to be very still, as if she was a mouse avoiding a snake.

"Miss Sato," he said, not shaking her hand, but nodding once at her in acknowledgment. She nodded back at him and was eternally grateful for Hashirama stepping in and breaking the ice.

"Obito, we're going to head to the conference room. Oh and don't tell anyone we're here. They'll find out in a few minutes regardless, and I love a good surprise," Hashirama said as he chuckled. "If you could bring down a pot of coffee we'd greatly appreciate it."

Obito nodded eagerly, "of course, Sir."

"Thank you," Hashirama said as he and Tobirama walked past them and in the direction of the executive conference rooms.

Nina exhaled and looked at Obito, who also looked like a deer in the headlights.

"That's them?" She knew it came out as a question, but she didn't really intend it to come across that way. She had just heard so much about the Senju Brothers that she still didn't really believe that she had just met them.

"Yep," Obito said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He stood up and gestured for her to follow him. They entered the kitchen and Obito began brewing a pot of coffee.

"They're…" Nina paused, searching for the right word. "A lot younger than I thought they'd be."

Obito crossed his arms and shrugged while they hung back and waited for the coffee, "I thought so too when I first met them. Hashirama is only forty-something."

"What about Tobirama?"

Obito looked thoughtful and tapped his fingers on his chin, "he's gotta be in his mid-thirties. Anything over thirty-five and I'd be shocked."

Nina shook her head, "how is that possible then? They're the founders. I figured they'd be Hiruzen's age."

Obito chuckled and uncrossed his arms to plunge them into his pockets, "Hashirama graduated from college when he was just sixteen and founded the company then. Gotta remember that Konoha Enterprises is still a really young organization."

Nina's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. At sixteen, she was working in a strip club, while Hashirama Senju was laying the foundation for a multi-billion-dollar business.

It was then that Nina wondered if Obito knew that Madara was one of the founders of the company. She considered bringing it up too, but decided against it. With everything going on today, Nina figured Obito didn't need any distractions.

"Wow," she muttered, "are either of them married?"

Obito nodded, "Hashirama is, but I would seriously doubt that some girl would put up with Tobirama," he held back a snicker.

Nina cracked a smirk, "we shouldn't laugh considering we're gonna be a couple of old hags with a bunch of cats when no one wants to marry either of us."

Obito graced her with a loud laugh, one that lifted Nina's spirits all the way to high heaven and elicited a laugh out of her as well that finally put her somewhat at ease. Even if everything blew up in her face and her little stint at working in corporate was a massive failure, at least she got Obito out of all of it, and to Nina, that was totally worth it—broken heart and all.

"Well from what I've heard, he actually had someone once. The two of us haven't even gotten that far," he teased, nudging her with his elbow. Nina narrowed her eyes, silently pushing him to go on. "I once heard Danzo say that Tobirama almost married some girl, but then they had a nasty falling out. I dunno. Danzo said the girl wasn't all that great, but Hiruzen seemed to disagree. Danzo blamed it on him choosing someone ' _less than worthy_ ', but Hiruzen blamed it on their work schedules. Who knows what really happened, but maybe if he had gotten married he wouldn't be so uptight."

The smile slowly fell from Nina's face and she looked down. Would that happen to Minato if he didn't marry Kushina? Would he turn into someone completely different if he had a nasty falling out with Kushina…because of her?

"Oh wow," Nina said under her breath.

"Yeah, I mean I dunno. He's got a great mind for business and literally came up with ninety-percent of the business processes here all on his own. He just needs to lighten up," Obito explained, going over to the coffee pot when it finished brewing. He grabbed a bowl of sugars and creamers and gestured for Nina to pick up some mugs and to follow her.

"We won't have to worry about that when we're old bats. Cats lighten everything up," Nina said with a tight smile.

Obito chuckled, "well I've got Kurama, so we already have a head start."

Nina shot Obito a smile and followed him to the conference room where the morning's meeting would take place.

She supposed everything was out of her hands now. All she could do was pray that Minato got her text and did something with the information…

* * *

*Insert excuse for my being a lazy piece of shit and not updating*

I know. I'm the worst.

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	18. Chapter 17

Minato was acutely aware of the cars in the parking garage that morning. He got to the place at 5:30 in the morning and just hung out like a creep, waiting to see a black Porsche pull into the lot.

As luck would have it, he wouldn't have to wait long.

Just a few minutes before 6am, Minato caught the car pulling into the lot, only a few spaces away from him. It seemed to fit the description. Black, chrome wheels, definitely a turbo. He held his breath and waited until the driver got out of the car.

And sure enough, there was Danzo. The prick got out, yawning and nursing what was probably coffee from a travel mug. Minato sucked in a sharp breath and got out of his own car, trying to catch Danzo on his way up to the top floor.

It was now or never.

Minato lengthened his stride as he slipped through the door that led inside, and held his hand out when he saw the elevator door about to close, catching it and stepping inside.

"Morning Danzo," Minato greeted.

Danzo gave him a frown and grunted a half awake, "Minato."

"Late night?" Minato asked. He didn't need Danzo to tell him that. The look of exhaustion on the man's face was enough to give that one away. He was probably at the strip club all night celebrating. Or maybe he was bar hopping. But whatever it was, the man was very clearly hung over. Minato was even a little surprised that he couldn't still smell the liquor on the man.

But instead of rolling his eyes and ignoring him, Danzo came back with, "you tell me. You were still at the office after everyone left, correct?"

Minato blinked in surprise. What did that mean?

"I was preparing for the meeting today," Minato answered.

"I'm sure that's not _all_ you were doing," Danzo said again, a nasty smirk slithering onto his bandaged face.

 _No_. Minato was not going to play this game. He was the one with the better hand and he needed to hurry up and play it before he lost all of his nerve.

"That's a nice car you've got, Danzo. Turbo?" Minato asked, steering the conversation away from wherever the hell Danzo was trying to take it.

Danzo frowned again and his eye that wasn't covered by the bandage shifted to the screen that displayed what floor the elevator was passing through.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, it is," Danzo said, still frowning and still watching the floors tick by.

"Hm," Minato said with a hum. "so is it a present from Nagato?"

It was like time slowed down or stopped all together. Neither of them so much as let out a breath or blinked. It was like that as the elevator went up exactly three floors until Danzo broke the silence and finally responded.

"Excuse me?" Danzo hissed.

"The Porsche. It's a present, right? Probably from Nagato since you two are working together to frame me so you can go ahead with your little hostile takeover."

Danzo at least had the decency to pretend to be offended, as he was scoffing and puffing out his chest all high and mighty as he turned an accusatory eye to Minato, "I don't know what you are talking about, but you better watch your tongue, _Boy_."

Minato rolled his eyes and shook his head, "I know everything, Danzo. I know you're working with Madara Uchiha and Nagato with this little scheme of yours. I know you hired some thug to pick up the trade secret from some guys from The Akatsuki Group, I know you then put a hit on the thug, and I know you plan to replace the board with Madara Uchiha and Nagato's guys so you can control the business. I figured you out."

Instead of going on, pretending he had no idea what Minato was talking about, Danzo only shrugged his shoulders and turned to face Minato, dropping the innocent act.

"Fine. You found me out. But you know the old saying, don't you?" Danzo started, that nasty smirk showing up on his face once again, "those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

Minato's eyes flickered to the elevator screen again. They arrived on the top floor, the doors sliding open, but neither of them got out.

"I'm sorry?" Minato finally said.

"I'm just wondering, while you're standing there all high and mighty, accusing me of lying and doing despicable things, if Kushina knows that you're having an affair with your secretary?"

Minato said nothing. He stuttered out some syllables, but nothing coherent came out.

Danzo chuckled, "come now, Minato. No need to play stupid."

Finally getting a hold of his tongue, Minato's face settled into a glower, "I don't know what you think, but I can assure you—"

"You know, before you go about undressing your secretary in the hallway, you should probably make sure that everyone has left the building—or at least the floor first," Danzo actually started laughing in face as an overwhelming wave of nausea washed over Minato. "So does Kushina know about this? That her friend— _your secretary_ —is having an affair with her fiancé?"

Minato didn't say anything. He couldn't. What was there for him to even say? If Danzo had seen them last night, then there was nothing to even attempt to dispute.

"Plus, I am sure that Tobirama Senju would just be delighted to hear that you hired a stripper with a criminal father to work as your administrative assistant. You know how much he loves Konoha. I'm sure he would be _thrilled_ to hear this bit of information. I mean, really? No background check? Forget Tobirama, the _board_ will love that."

What the actual fuck was going on right now? One minute ago Minato held all the right cards and now… Now he was being blackmailed?

"What?" Minato blurted, unable to come up with anything else to say.

"You're right. I am working with Madara Uchiha—but you can hardly blame me. He's the one who started this company in the first place. And I've seen your little piece of ass at Mangekyo a few times. She goes by Katia there, although, I doubt you're surprised by that bit of information," Danzo paused and his grin turned into a smirk. "What surprises me is that you saw the last name Sato and didn't immediately see the Yakuza ties. Her father is a well known criminal, and the world would be a better place with one less scumbag like him in it."

Minato was getting lightheaded. He was right. Everything about his theory had been right after all.

"Tell the Senju's about my plan and I will air all of your dirty laundry to the office, to the board, and to Kushina as well," Danzo said. He pressed the button in the elevator that would open the doors, as they had been in there so long that it shut on them, and walked out, stopping to look over his shoulder and get one last jab in there, "and it's sweet you want to help Kai Sato, since I'm assuming your entire theory rests on his shoulders… But he's a dead man walking. Probably won't even make it to see the sun go down tonight."

And then, just like that, Danzo was gone.

* * *

"Ready for this?" Jiraiya asked. He stopped by Minato's office a good ten minutes before they were supposed to meet with the Senju's, and from what Minato could tell, Jiraiya was only slightly less pissed at him.

"Mm," Minato muttered. How was he supposed to give a shit about this meeting after what Danzo said? He wanted to talk to Nina, but the information would only set her teeth more on edge and he couldn't do that to her. He already put her in a bad spot since he couldn't keep it in his fucking pants. He couldn't give her even more bad news.

"You okay?" Jiraiya asked with a slow drawl, indicating that he either didn't care whether or not Minato was okay, or that he was just overall suspicious.

Not knowing what else to do, Minato's blue eyes flickered to Jiraiya, suddenly more aware in that moment than he had been all morning.

"Danzo is framing me and I have proof."

Jiraiya's lips parted and his eyebrows were rising. He took a step closer to the desk and watched Minato with wide eyes, "well that's great. This is the answer to all of your problems then."

Minato shook his head, rubbing his hands over his face, "no. No it isn't."

"Why not?" Jiraiya demanded.

"Because it involves Nina and her fathe—"

" _For fuck's sake, Minato!_ " Jiraiya shouted. "That girl has been nothing but trouble since she started! If you tell me that the reason you're not going to expose Danzo is because of the goddamn secretary, then I am going to kick your fucking ass!"

Jiraiya's face was going red from exploding and Minato scoffed and threw his hands up in response.

"Well that girl is the reason why I know what I know!" Minato snapped back. "And if you would let me fucking finish for once, you would know why!"

Jiraiya, still fuming and shaking his head with his beet red face said nothing, giving Minato the chance to fill in the details.

"Her father is a criminal," Minato hurried to continue because the look on Jiraiya's face told him he was about to cut him off and start cursing him out if he didn't finish his statement and do it quickly, "and Danzo hired him to pick up the trade secret from some guys from The Akatsuki Group and bring it back to him because Danzo is working with them, and to make sure he never says anything, Danzo told Nagato—who apparently is the leader of some criminal organization—to put a goddamn hit on Kai Sato. And Kai Sato identified Danzo's car and Danzo even fucking admitted to all of this in the elevator this morning."

The words lingered in the air, and the silence stretched on for far too long. But Jiraiya's face was no longer red and he was putting his hand to his head and looking at the floor, as if it held all the answers.

" _Christ_ ," Jiraiya said under his breath. His eyes then met Minato's, "so what's stopping you from getting this guy in here and explaining everything to an attorney? And what's stopping you from telling the Senju's all of this?"

Minato sighed, "I doubt a criminal who has done work for the Yakuza would ever speak with an attorney and be a rat. He mainly just pointed me in the right direction. Only Danzo or Nagato could admit to everything… And I can't tell the Senju's because… Because," Minato's heart shattered into a million pieces in that very moment.

"Because Danzo knows about you and Nina and will tell Kushina," Jiraiya finished for Minato.

Minato buried his face into his hands and nodded.

He heard Jiraiya let out a long, slow sigh.

"No matter the outcome, Kushina's heart gets broken regardless," Jiraiya muttered. "The only difference is that you'll be saving the company that we all love and that you could possibly be saving a lot of peoples' jobs. But it's your decision."

It was quiet and that's when Minato heard the reminder on his computer go off for the meeting that was scheduled to begin in two minutes.

"For what it's worth, I think you should tell the truth."

* * *

"It's been too long," Hiruzen said with a grin splitting across his face, briefly embracing Hashirama and then Tobirama. Minato knew that Hiruzen was particularly close to the Senju's, knowing that he was one of their first investors, and that their families had always been good friends, but it was still odd to see the brothers actually happy around someone—and by brothers he meant Tobirama.

"I wish these were happier circumstances," Hashirama said, although he was still smiling.

"Am I to understand that Mito is expecting?" Hiruzen asked, still grinning ear to ear.

Hashirama's face lit up even more if that was at all possible and he nodded, "as a matter of fact she is! She's only a couple months along, so we're expecting a Spring baby."

"That is wonderful!" Hiruzen beamed. He looked at Tobirama next, "you're to be an uncle. How do you feel about that?"

Tobirama rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "I feel that that is a discussion for after our meeting, Saru."

Hiruzen rolled his eyes in response, "a little happiness would do you some good from time to time. It's like you're allergic to smiling."

Minato's eyes widened, as well as Jiraiya's, and the two exchanged a look that said to _not_ laugh, no matter what.

But Tobirama didn't say anything. Then again, he never did when Hiruzen poked fun at him. It was moments like these that Minato and Jiraiya often said they wished they could be Hiruzen, and say whatever they wanted to the Senju's without having to worry about consequences.

"Where is Danzo?" Hashirama asked.

That was when Minato noticed the Chief Legal Counsel was absent. After their conversation in the elevator, Minato thought for sure Danzo would be early to the meeting, but he was nowhere to be found, which was odd. Danzo wasn't one to usually come early to meetings, but he certainly wasn't one to be late either.

That's when Minato heard the sound of someone shouting. He looked at Jiraiya, and he must have noticed too, because he was walking over to the door and opening it to tell whoever was out there to keep it down, but he came to an abrupt halt and Minato heard the voice immediately cut off.

"Is there a problem here?" Jiraiya asked, his voice low and not at all amused.

Danzo was then entering the room, his lips pursed into a thin line as he pocketed his phone, "you'll have to forgive me. I had an important phone call I had to take."

"And was this phone call more important than my time you've just wasted?" Tobirama asked, his eyes locked on Danzo and eyebrows raising.

"I apologize, Mr. Senju," Danzo answered, letting his eyes fall to the ground. He was the first to sit at the table and Minato and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, but then sat down.

Minato watched the way Danzo pulled out his phone and fiddled with it under the table and the way a sweat broke out across his forehead. What the hell was he doing?

"Now that everyone's here, let's get started."

* * *

"Is everything okay?" Obito asked Nina.

Nina fumbled with her phone, her hands violently trembling as she did. She read over her father's last text over and over and over again until the words were burned into her mind.

' _ **Someone broke in the house'**_

"Nina, seriously. You're scaring me," Obito said. He rolled his chair closer to hers and rested a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't heard from her father since he sent that text at eight o'clock in the morning when all the executives went in for their meeting, and now that several hours had passed, she felt even worse. For all she knew, whoever broke into her apartment had killed her father by now.

"I don't—I don't know," Nina stuttered.

She could feel Obito's eyes on hers, but then she noticed him looking over her shoulder, reading the text that she had pulled up.

"Holy shit," Obito hissed. "You gotta call the cops!"

Nina shook her head, "I can't. No cop will take my dad seriously. He's got a record a mile long."

"Well then—" Obito cut himself off when a group of the salesmen walked by them to head down to the café for lunch. He sighed and nudged Nina to get up with him. She did so half heartedly and followed him downstairs for their break.

When they got to the ground floor, she noticed the group of executives not far ahead of them. The Senju's were with Hiruzen, Danzo was nowhere in sight (which Nina hoped was a good sign) and Minato was with Jiraiya. She would have killed to know what they said during the meeting that lasted all morning. She wanted to grill Minato and ask if he confronted Danzo, but the way he stuck with Jiraiya told her that now was not the time.

"I'm gonna go outside and get some fresh air," Nina said to Obito. He frowned at first, but then nodded and let her go on. She appreciated the concern, but right now there was nothing he could say that would make her feel better.

So she walked outside of the building and leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky. It was a perfect day with blue skies and white puffy clouds.

What a great day for everything to go to shit.

"Nina!"

Nina looked away from the sky just in time for Kushina to come into view. She must have come from yoga judging from those skin tight leggings and long sleeved workout shirt.

"Hey," Nina croaked.

"Everything okay? You look upset," Kushina said.

"Just family stuff going on," Nina said. She couldn't look at Kushina, not after what happened yesterday. So she looked at the sidewalk instead.

"I hope it all works out," Kushina offered, and Nina could hear the encouraging smile in her voice. Why did she have to be so nice? If Minato was with some nasty bitch, then Nina could maybe justify her actions. But really? Did Kushina have to be so nice all the time?

"Are you looking for Minato?" Nina asked, still keeping her eyes glued to the sidewalk.

"I am. He left some papers at the condo that he needed for the board meeting today, so I'm being a good little housewife and bringing them," Kushina said.

Nina looked up with narrowed eyes at Kushina's tone. There was something… _Bitter_ there. But Nina couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe Kushina found out? Maybe she—

"Oh don't look at me like that," Kushina said, now playing with a lock of her hair.

"Everything okay at home?" Nina asked. She hated how badly she wanted to hear Kushina say they were having problems.

Kushina pursed her lips and then shrugged, "I don't know."

They stood in relative silence for a minute or so, but then surprising both of them, Minato walked outside with Jiraiya beside him.

Jiraiya shot Nina a look, and under any normal circumstances, she would have shot him back her own look and would have had a stare off with the guy, but the way he looked at her made her think he knew what was going on, so she looked down in shame.

"Why didn't you tell me you were here?" Minato asked Kushina. Nina leaned away from the wall and sidestepped the couple, going to stand a little further away from them.

"Because I was talking to Nina," Kushina said easily.

Nina bit her tongue. She really didn't need Kushina bringing her into this.

"Okay," Minato muttered under his breath. "You have the papers?"

Nina could see Kushina rummaging through her bag from the corner of her eye. There was something so domestic about the two of them that was making Nina wish she never started working at Konoha Enterprises. Kushina was right. She was being a perfect little housewife, coming to his job to bring him something he forgot. There was a domestic quality and familiarity between the two of them that Nina so desperately wanted to have.

And who the hell was she to mess up their relationship?

Nina looked away from them and down the street. She had to put her foot down with Minato. After the meeting and when this whole lawsuit blew over, she would sit him down and tell him that whatever the hell they were doing, they needed to stop.

Maybe she would hand in her resignation too.

"What the…" Jiraiya muttered.

Nina raised her eyebrow and looked over her shoulder at Jiraiya. He was staring down the street she was just looking at, so Nina followed his gaze to see what he saw that she didn't.

Running down the street, pushing through crowds, and constantly looking over his shoulder, was _her fucking father_.

"Daddy?" Nina blurted out, standing away from the wall when her father finally reached her. He gripped both of her shoulders and Nina's eyes widened when she saw a bloody gash on his temple and a busted up lip.

"Doll, we gotta go," he hissed, shaking her shoulders lightly. His pupils were blown and he kept looking over his shoulder as his grip on her tightened.

Nina put her hands on his arms, trying to grab his attention, "what happened to you?"

He looked back at her, "they're coming and we need to go NOW."

Nina shook her head. There was just too much to process. The first was that she was ecstatic her father was alive. The second was worry because whoever broke into her house clearly messed him pretty badly. The third was that how did he get all the way to Konoha Enterprises from The Valley without a bus pass? The fourth…

"Kai, you can't be here," it was Minato, coming up to the both of them. His voice was low but Nina knew just how anxious he was.

"You think I don't know that?" Her father snarled, his eyes shifting to Minato. But they shifted back to Nina, and he released her shoulders and took a step back, gesturing for her to follow him.

"We need to go to the police if those people who broke in are following you," Nina tried. She knew she shouldn't have said it, because if there was one thing Kai Sato hated, it was the cops. But what else was she supposed to suggest? He showed up to her work all bloody and paranoid for Christ's sake.

"Someone _broke in_?" Minato repeated, turning a wild blue gaze to her. Nina sighed and ignored Minato to focus on her father instead.

"Doll, they're gonna kill me and they're gonna kill you too because now you know too much. So we need to get out of here RIGHT NOW."

"What the hell is going on?" Jiraiya shouted above everything. Nina's snuck a quick glance at Jiraiya and Kushina, each of them staring at Nina, her father, and Minato with wide eyes that demanded answers.

"Jiraiya, this is what I was telling you about," Minato snapped.

Nina moved away from Minato and walked over to where her father looked like he was about to start sprinting down the sidewalk.

"Would someone care to explain what is going on right now?"

Nina held back a groan when she saw both of the Senju's as well as Hiruzen Sarutobi come outside, each taking in the chaos with very confused expressions.

"Nina, _please_ ," her father begged. Nina's heart hit the floor. He never called her Nina, not ever. Not even when she was a child.

"I'm calling the cop—"

 _Crack! Crack! Crack!_

Three gunshots cracked and Nina instinctively crouched down and put her hands over her head.

She could hear several people screaming, and her ears buzzed as she opened her eyes and looked at where her father was crumpled on the sidewalk, holding his stomach as his blood stained the pavement.

It was like the wind was knocked out of her lungs as she stared at him. With her ears still ringing from the cracks and people screaming, Nina went to run over to her father, her eyes flashing up only when they landed on a black Suburban that was slowly driving past them, with the black tinted windows rolled down as a man with black sunglasses and a bandana covering his face pointed a gun right at her.

Nina froze. This was it. This was the moment her father's bad decisions finally landed back on her.

She waited for the gunshots in what felt like slow motion, and squeezed her eyes shut, praying that it would at least be quick…

 _Crack!_

Nina's eyes fluttered open when she fell to the pavement, feeling something heavy wrapped around her.

She caught sight of the car driving off and Nina looked down at what was wrapped around her, because she was pretty sure she should have felt pain from being shot or something but… She didn't?

"MINATO," Kushina's voice cracked through the air at the same time Nina realized what—or rather who—was wrapped around her.

"Oh my God," Nina whispered, her hands violently shaking as she looked at where Minato fell away from her, blood seeping from his shoulder, staining his white dress shirt. He wasn't conscious, probably from the shock, but before Nina could do anything, Kushina was at her side, already pressing her bare hands to his shoulder to try and stop the bleeding.

Nina couldn't move. She just knelt there on the pavement, shaking.

Her father had just been shot right before her eyes.

Someone had just tried to kill her.

And the man she was in love with just took a bullet that was meant for her.

And all she could say was, "what the fuck."

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter! If my outline means anything we're 3 chapters away from the end! (Thank God because it has never taken me this long to complete anything before in my life)

Bear with me. The ages between Danzo, Hiruzen, and the Senju's are screwy. Did that on purpose as my girl Kellie noticed in the reviews lol

Lol and yes, I'm planning on doing a Tobirama story! It'll be a "continuation" (not a sequel) of this. So same AU, same characters, just different couple and storyline as the focus.

You guys are great! Ya'll have the patience of a saint. Leave a review and lemme know your thoughts(:


	19. Chapter 18

Nina sat in her father's hospital room alone, waiting for him to wake up. She had already been questioned by the police, by the hospital staff, and by everyone who had been there when the shooting happened. And if she was being perfectly honest, she was fucking sick and tired of questions.

Nina didn't even change out of her clothes. She had worn her usual get up to work that day. A pencil skirt that was navy blue, and a white short sleeved shirt that was a turtleneck. But now there was a splatter of blood on her white shirt, and that blood didn't belong to her, but rather Minato.

She had sat in the waiting room for three and a half hours while they operated. Kushina and Jiraiya had been in the waiting room too. And every so often a nurse or surgical intern would come out to give one of them updates. From what Nina put together, her father had been in a lot worse condition than Minato. Which was good, but still shitty nonetheless.

Minato's surgery was done before her father's, and Kushina was taken to his room right away. Jiraiya had to stay back since he wasn't immediate family, and he took the opportunity to grill Nina ten ways to Sunday.

He tried to intimidate her, telling her the shooting was her fault (it was), that he knew that she was sneaking around with Minato (she was), and that if she knew what was good for her, she would leave the company (she was planning to). She was silent through all of it, not saying a word. But when he made a snide comment to her about how she shouldn't even be there with them, she looked at him dead in the eye and very calmly said,

' _My father, the only person I have in this world, was just shot. I absolutely have a right to be here, same as you.'_

He left her alone after that, and not long after she was told her father was out of surgery and that she could go see him.

She was only in there for fifteen minutes when he woke up. His eyes slowly opened and he blinked a few times, trying to orient himself. Nina let out a sigh of relief and rested her hand on his.

"Doll," her father said, looking at her with hazy eyes. "You're okay."

Nina nodded and looked at the floor, "you weren't kidding when you said they were going to try to kill me too."

Her father let out a long, labored breath and shook his head when she looked back at him. His hazel eyes, the same eyes Nina grew up wishing she had, turned glassy and squeezed her hand as hard as probably could.

"I told you. No one crosses Nagato—and that's exactly what I did when I told you about what I was involved with."

Nina looked away, "is that who shot you then? Nagato?"

"His guys. Yeah," her father muttered. "Probably needed me dead by today."

"But why try to shoot _me_?" Nina asked.

"You're my daughter. You know too much. You're directly involved now. There could be a hundred reasons," he said.

Nina huffed and shook her head.

They sat in comfortable silence for a little bit, but it wasn't long before her father spoke up again.

"That stiff, the one who jumped in front of the bullet for you," her father muttered. "He's in love with you—isn't he?"

Nina shut her eyes, "I don't think so."

Her father laughed, a breathy sound from the pain he was in, "any man who takes a bullet for a woman is in love with her… Or just plain stupid."

Nina laughed in spite of herself and smiled at her dad.

She tried to not give it much thought—how Minato felt about her. She had begrudgingly come to the conclusion that she in fact had fallen in love with him, but when she thought about how felt about her…

He was probably just fixated with her because he wanted out of his engagement.

And the more she thought about it, the more her heart hurt.

Tears came to her eyes and her dad gave her a knowing look. And she couldn't help it when the tears overtook her with full force and she buried her face in her arms, leaning on the edge of her father's bed as he patted her back, letting her cry.

* * *

Kushina was alone in Minato's room, sitting next to his bed and watching his sleeping figure. The surgery supposedly went smoothly, and the nurses promised her that the doctor who performed it would be stopping by as soon as she was out of her other procedure.

So she was alone and couldn't have been more thankful. It gave her some much needed time to process everything.

She couldn't stop replaying those moments in her head. The way Nina's father, a small man who shared several of Nina's features, ran up to her and started talking about how someone was trying to kill them both and that they needed to leave. That in itself had been startling, but what was most startling was the fact that Minato walked up to the man and acted like he knew him.

And then when Jiraiya asked what was going on and when Minato told him that it had been something they already talked about…

Then, quicker than she could have processed, a car drove up the street and opened fire, shooting Nina's father. And then the same people pointed a gun at Nina and…

And Minato jumped in front of it.

And got shot because of it.

Minato got shot because he jumped in front of a bullet meant for Nina.

Kushina hadn't thought much of it at the time, she only saw Minato go down and screamed like a banshee.

But now that she had a few hours to process everything, she couldn't stop thinking about it. She couldn't shake the image of Minato taking a bullet for… Well… For his secretary…

Why would he do something so stupid?

Sure, Minato cared about _everyone_. But enough to take a bullet for them? Kushina wasn't so sure about that. She liked Nina. A lot. She considered the girl a very close friend, but Kushina would be lying if she said she would willingly take a bullet for her.

That just wasn't something friends or coworkers did for each other.

Kushina sighed and fiddled with her engagement ring.

The door opened and she looked at it, hoping to see a doctor, but instead was greeted with Jiraiya and Hiruzen.

She frowned. Not that she wasn't happy to see them, because quite frankly all of this thinking was going to drive her insane, but how did they get in there? The nurse had been crystal clear when she said to Jiraiya that only immediate family was allowed in the room.

"I schmoozed our way in here," Jiraiya said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Since when has that ever worked for you?" Kushina asked, already feeling better that there were people to distract her from the worst of her thoughts.

"That's what I said," Hiruzen said.

He walked over to Kushina and wrapped one arm around her for a quick hug, and then he was moving to the other side of the room with Jiraiya and sitting in another chair.

"Well I'm glad you did," Kushina said, forcing a small smile onto her face.

Then there was a knock on the door, a brief pause, and then two women were walking in, both in a set of scrubs.

Kushina recognized the nurse in the custom red and white scrubs. Her name was Kurenai and she was one of the nurses that kept them informed during the surgery. But the woman next to her was unfamiliar. She was short like Nina, but that was where the similarities ended. From what Kushina could see, she had light blonde hair that was very short, judging from the stubby ponytail at the nape of her neck, and had the most interesting color of eyes Kushina had ever seen before, with them being a cross between honey topaz and copper colored brandy.

She wore dark blue scrubs and still had a scrub cap on that was black with white flowers on it, and gave Kushina a very professional smile.

"Is it safe to assume that you're Miss Uzumaki?"

Kushina nodded, and the doctor came over to her and gave her a firm handshake that rivaled even Jiraiya's.

"Excellent. I'm Doctor Nakano and I'm the head trauma surgeon here. I'm also the one who performed your fiancé's procedure. I just wanted to let you know th—"

" _Naminé_?"

Dr. Nakano paused as her face immediately twisted into a frown and turned around quickly to look at Jiraiya and Hiruzen.

Kushina furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the two of them as well, but the outburst didn't come from Jiraiya like she initially thought. It came from Hiruzen, and the old man's eyes were wide and his jaw was slack as he looked at the doctor.

Kushina's attention shifted to the doctor, and the same look washed over her face.

"Oh my God," she muttered. "Hiruzen?"

Hiruzen let out a laugh in disbelief, and Kushina watched in complete and utter confusion as the man held his arms out and hugged the doctor the way he might have hugged a daughter. The doctor returned the hug and for a long moment, Kushina and Jiraiya just looked at each other, waiting for some explanation.

The doctor pulled back and laughed when she looked at Hiruzen, "has it really been that many years? When did you get so old?"

Hiruzen, despite the teasing remark, was still grinning like a proud papa bear, "you're one to talk! Last I saw you, you were a dewy eyed intern. Now look at you, you're a real doctor!"

"I've always been a real doctor," Dr. Nakano said, her voice cracking just enough for Kushina to pick up on it.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to interrupt this little moment between old friends, but we're really concerned here," Jiraiya cut in.

Remembering where she was, Dr. Nakano composed herself.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "As I was saying, I'm Doctor Nakano and I'm the one who performed Mr. Namikaze's surgery."

Kushina nodded and held the doctor's gaze.

"Everything went smoothly. The bullet entered through his shoulder, but moved through his chest. So we were worried about a free wall rupture around the heart, but between myself and the cardio thoracic surgeon Dr. Kito, there were no complications and he should make a quick recovery due to his age and health," Dr. Nakano explained.

Kushina nodded but swallowed a lump in her throat, "I'm sorry, but why were there two of you? Was Minato hurt that badly?"

Dr. Nakano was quickly shaking her head and assuring her that Minato was just fine, "oh no, your fiancé is just fine! It was just because of the location of the gunshot wound that required a cardio thoracic surgeon. While I am _very_ good at what I do, it's common practice to have another surgeon in the room when certain specialties are involved. Your fiancé is in very good condition; I can assure you of that."

Kushina nodded again, feeling stupid for getting so worked up.

"I'm here all night, so I'll be around. And Kurenai over here is a fantastic nurse who will also be around all night, and she'll be able to help you as well," Dr. Nakano gave Kushina that professional smile again, and Kushina felt a little better. Even though it was only just barely.

"Hiruzen, it's _so great_ to see you," Dr. Nakano said to Hiruzen, laying her hand on his arm and giving it a squeeze.

Hiruzen smiled back at her, "let's catch up some time now that I know you're back in the city."

The doctor nodded and then slipped out of the room, followed by the nurse.

"How the hell do _you_ know a woman like _that_?" Jiraiya blurted the minute the doctor was out of the room. Kushina rolled her eyes and looked back at Minato, taking his hand in hers.

"Don't start with me, Jiraiya. You're not even in her league or playing the same game for that matter," Hiruzen remarked.

"If I hook up with a doctor I'll get to retire early," Jiraiya teased and Hiruzen scoffed in disgust. "But c'mon. How do you know her?"

Hiruzen let out a long sigh, "I knew her parents when they were still alive. That woman is like a daughter to me. And that is all I'm going to say on the subject."

Jiraiya shrugged, seemingly satisfied with the answer and refocused his attention on Kushina.

"You doing all right?"

Kushina nodded, but her thoughts came to a halt when Minato started to stir.

"I think he's waking up," she breathed out.

"I'll get a nurse," Hiruzen said, and Kushina heard the door open as he presumably left to find someone to check on him.

"Minato?" Kushina asked.

He stirred a little more, and then his eyes were opening, and a giant grin split across Kushina's face. He was all right. He really was going to be just fine.

"Minato," Kushina said again, trying to help him wake up.

His blue eyes looked at her, but Kushina could tell that he wasn't totally lucid yet, as he seemed to be looking _through_ her, rather than _at_ her.

"How you feeling?" Jiraiya asked. He stood behind Kushina and Minato let out a groan and let his head fall back into his pillow.

"Is Nina okay?" he muttered, staring up at the ceiling and grimacing in pain.

Kushina's stomach hit the floor.

She withdrew her hand from his and straightened up in her chair.

"What was that?" Jiraiya asked, his voice sounding incredulous.

"Nina," Minato said with another groan, "is she okay?"

Kushina pursed her lips together and very slowly stood up, and walked out of the room, blatantly ignoring Jiraiya's protests.

She got into the hallway at the same time Hiruzen was coming back with a nurse. He immediately frowned when he saw her and asked if everything was okay.

"He's up," was all Kushina said.

She walked down the hall until she found a bathroom and went inside to lean against the sink.

She closed her eyes and tried to meditate for a brief couple of moments, but it wasn't really helping with the array of emotions she was being assaulted with.

Kushina looked in the mirror when someone came into the bathroom, seeing Dr. Nakano. She had taken off her scrub cap and let her hair down, showing off a short haircut that didn't even brush her shoulders.

"Miss Uzumaki, are you okay? You look pale," she said when she saw Kushina looking at her through the mirror.

"I'm fine," Kushina answered. Her head dropped between her shoulders and she tried to take slow even breaths.

"If you're feeling lightheaded I can take you somewhere to have a seat. I can't have you passing out in the bathroom," Dr. Nakano said. Kushina felt the doctor's hand on her back and she shook her head with a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Nakano. You'll have to give me a minute because I'm trying to come to grips with the fact that my fiancé is in love with another woman—who happens to be a friend of mine and his secretary on top of that."

"…"

Dr. Nakano was silent and Kushina eventually looked up to see the look of disbelief on the woman's face.

"I… I'm so sorry," Dr. Nakano said, her eyes still wide.

Kushina didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the confidence that Dr. Nakano portrayed with the way she carried herself, or maybe it was because the woman was a complete stranger who didn't know Kushina or anyone else involved, so she felt no obligation to lie to Kushina to spare her feelings, but Kushina decided that there was no one else she'd rather talk to to get everything off her chest.

"Me too. But I shouldn't be," Kushina started. "Minato and I have been having issues for a couple years now, but the past few months have been awful. I made him start sleeping out on the couch I don't even remember how long ago, we fight over every stupid thing you could possibly think of, I kicked him out of the house one night…"

"Is he not a good partner?" Dr. Nakano asked. She leaned against the sink and gave Kushina her full attention, and Kushina was eternally grateful, considering the fact that she knew the woman probably had a crazy busy schedule.

"No, he's a great partner actually," Kushina muttered, feeling guilty all of the sudden. "But I've never been with anyone else. We've been together for over ten years now and the only time we broke up was back in college for two weeks. And I've known for a while now that I wasn't in love with him and that I didn't want to get married, but… I don't know how to not be with him."

There was sympathy in the doctor's eyes and she crossed her arms nodded her head as Kushina spoke.

"What should I do?" Kushina whispered. She had never felt so helpless before. But coming clean to a stranger was more liberating than she ever could have imagined.

Dr. Nakano shifted onto her other hip and let out a soft laugh, "I'm not sure I'm the person you want advice from. I walked out on my own wedding."

Kushina stared at her in disbelief.

"Yeah, not my proudest moment," Dr. Nakano said with another chuckle. "We were together for just as long and I'd like to say that we were happy."

"So what happened?" Kushina asked, feeling the corner of her lips tug downward.

"Ah, it was a long time ago," Dr. Nakano shook her head, "I was going through some stuff and um… You know what? It's the past now. It's not important."

Clearly it was still a sore subject.

"Do you ever wish you had stayed with him?" Kushina asked.

Dr. Nakano gave her a long look and finally uncrossed her arms and stood up straighter, "If I'm being honest, I haven't really given it too much thought. It would have been too hard if I did. But sometimes I miss him when I'm feeling pretty lonely."

Kushina swallowed back a lump in her throat, "was it hard? Being alone when you were with someone for so long?"

"It was, but time helps with that," Dr. Nakano smirked, seemingly in spite of herself, "granted I also up and moved to another city where no one knew me, and that might have helped a little bit more because I didn't have reminders of my relationship everywhere."

Kushina shot her an amused smile. Who would have thought that such a successful surgeon would have run away from a relationship like that? She ran a hand through her hair. Maybe Dr. Nakano was right. Maybe it was well past time for her to cut her losses.

But not before she talked to Nina…

The sound of a buzzer went off, and Dr. Nakano pulled a pager out of the pocket of her white coat and let out an exhausted sigh.

"I've gotta go. I hope everything works out, Miss Uzumaki," Dr. Nakano gave her an encouraging smile and then she was pulling her hair back into a ponytail and heading for the bathroom door. But before she walked out, she looked at Kushina from over her shoulder.

"And hey, it's better to be alone than to wish you were alone."

* * *

"Madara," Madara had just set foot in Mangekyo when Tsunade was already marching up to him, her hands curled into fists as she gritted her teeth. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. It was too goddamn early for this shit.

"What?"

"Care to explain to me why Nina was on the news this afternoon?"

Madara blinked, dumbfounded.

"What?" He repeated.

Tsunade pulled out her phone, searching something on the internet as she spoke, "there was a shooting down at Konoha Enterprises and look, she's right there in the background. Blood on her shirt and everything."

Madara snatched the phone out of Tsunade's hand, watching the news clip that discussed a shooting and listed Minato Namikaze, the CEO of the goddamn company, and Kai Sato, Nina's fucking father, as victims.

" _Shit_ ," Madara hissed. He walked away from Tsunade, heading to the back for some quiet to make a phone call, but he could hear her heels clicking behind him.

"I know you had something to do with this, directly or indirectly," Tsunade snapped. Madara ignored her, already about to call up Danzo.

But Tsunade wasn't so easily deterred, as her hand clamped down on the back of his neck hard enough to bruise, and Madara grunted in pain, trying to swat her away from him. She wouldn't move and was looking at him with those fiery eyes of hers.

"I love that girl, Madara. And you can act as tough as you want, I know you love her too. And if something happens to her and it's on your head, I will kill you myself. You hear me? I will _kill you_ myself."

Madara pulled away from her, "I'm handling it."

He marched straight into the back without another word and put his phone to his ear. It rang three times before finally being answered.

"I'm assuming you saw the news," Danzo muttered.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? This is _not_ how you go about taking over a goddamn company!" Madara snarled.

"Kai Sato needed to be taken care of!" Danzo argued.

Madara pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a feeling Danzo had hired Kai to do his dirty work, but he had hoped that he was wrong. Madara knew from the moment Danzo told him about his plan that whoever it was that picked up the trade secret was disposable. What he didn't know was that the thug he hired was Nina's own father.

"Taking care of Kai in front of the business itself and shooting Minato Namikaze in the process _was not part of the plan_!"

"Minato was collateral damage!" Danzo spat back. "He's not the one they were trying to hit! If he wasn't so in love with that stripper of yours he never would have jumped in front of the goddamn bullet!"

Madara froze.

"That stripper of mine?" He repeated, the volume of his voice coming back down as realization set in. He knew that Nina worked at Konoha Enterprises now, and that she had come across Danzo enough times to be wary of him when she saw him at Mangekyo, but as far as he was concerned, Danzo didn't know Nina was a stripper?

Then the rest of his words sank in.

Minato Namikaze wasn't the target. He jumped in front of the actual target.

"Did you put a hit on Nina?" Madara asked, his eyes widening.

He could hear Danzo let out an exasperated sigh from the other end of the phone, "Kai told her everything. She knows just about every little detail and I couldn't risk—"

"You put a fucking hit on my girl?" Madara shouted. He had never felt his blood boil so hot before in his life.

"Madara—"

"Don't you dare," Madara snapped, clenching his fists. "You call Nagato and tell him to take the hit off of both of them. I mean it. You call Nagato or I will. And if _I'm_ the one who has to call him, _you'll_ be the one with a hit on your head. I swear to God, Danzo. I fucking mean every word of it."

"Madara, you're being unreasonable," Danzo tried, his voice rising with panic.

"Call Nagato, or I will."

* * *

Nina walked out of the bathroom after Mei stopped by with a change of clothes for her. Apparently she was on the news and called Nina all panicked about what happened. Nina told her what she could, and Mei, being awesome like always, stopped by the hospital with some of her own clothes (since Nina's apartment was a crime scene after those guys broke in that morning) and even visited her father.

Mei met Nina's father a handful of times, and her father was a sucker for a pretty face. So Mei lifted his spirits while Nina stepped out to get herself some coffee and change her clothes so she didn't have blood on her anymore, and to just clear her mind.

Mei's jeans were too long for Nina, as she was a good few inches taller than her, so Nina was stuck cuffing the bottoms so she didn't trip over them. And the t-shirt Mei gave her was an old one that wasn't quite long enough, so her stomach was showing. Normally Nina wouldn't have cared, but with Konoha people stopping by the hospital all day, she really didn't want to leave the wrong impression. She had already seen some of the sales guys come by and a couple other directors.

But hey. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

Nina walked to the waiting area where she knew a coffee vending machine was, and plunged quarters into the machine. Her head was pounding and all she really wanted was some caffeine.

"You doing okay, Dimples?"

Shikaku Nara walked right up to her and leaned against the vending machine, giving her a worried look.

Nina looked behind him to see if there were any other Konoha people around, as generally if Shikaku was around, Inoichi and Choza weren't far. But as far as she could tell, he was alone.

"Oh I'm fine. My dad is doing better too," she said quickly.

"Good," was all Shikaku said as her coffee cup filled up. She grabbed it and waited for him to say something, but he was silent.

"I don't think we're going to be able to get together for breakfast with how my dad is. So if you wanted to talk to me about something, now is probably your best chance," she said, not knowing what else to say. It was only yesterday that Shikaku stopped by her desk before going home and suggested they meet up to talk about something. But it felt like it happened years ago with what just happened.

Shikaku looked thoughtful and rubbed his chin, "well considering the fact that Minato just took a bullet for you, I don't think I'm the one to have this discussion with you."

Nina frowned, "what's that supposed to mean?"

Shikaku shook his head and straightened up, "it means that I think it's time you talk to Kushina."

Nina's eyes fell. So that's what he wanted to talk about.

"Oh."

Shikaku threw an arm around her shoulders and started walking them towards the door of the hospital, "I don't know what's going on. I've got some ideas but that's about it."

"Yeah," she said softly.

"But I like you. Obito likes you. You're good at your job. The office is a happier place with you in it. And you seem to make friends with everyone. Hell, not even Kakashi has a bad thing to say about you. So whatever happens, just know that I'm in your corner."

They walked outside and Nina looked at Shikaku in confusion. He withdrew his arm and nodded ahead at where Kushina was sitting on one of the benches, fiddling with the ring on her finger.

Nina's stomach hurt. But she let out a sigh and muttered a soft thank you to Shikaku and walked over to Kushina, sitting down beside her on the bench and looking down at her coffee cup, suddenly not so thirsty anymore.

"Hey," Nina said.

"Hey," Kushina said back.

Nina bit down on the inside of her cheek, "how's Minato?"

"Good. He's up. How's your dad?"

"Good. He's up too."

The silence between them was heavy and it stretched on and on. Nina refused to say anything first. She owed that much to Kushina. Whatever Kushina wanted to say to her would be completely and totally warranted. If she wanted to scream at Nina and call her a whore or a bitch or a home wrecker, Nina would silently take it. But she at least wanted to give Kushina plenty of time to organize her thoughts so she would be ready for whatever nasty thing she was preparing to say.

"Did you ever kiss him?" Kushina asked softly after a long time.

"Yes," Nina admitted.

"Did you ever have sex with him?" Kushina still didn't look at her.

"No," Nina said truthfully, looking away from her coffee cup and straight ahead.

Kushina let out a sigh and finally looked at Nina. Nina swallowed a breath of hot air and turned to the side to look at the pretty redhead that she had come to call her friend, preparing herself for the moment Kushina slapped her across her face.

"That's even worse," Kushina said, a bitter smile creeping onto her face. Nina didn't say anything, but she definitely knew that she had to look confused, because quite frankly, she _was_ confused.

Kushina continued, "if it was just sex that'd be one thing. It's just physical and easier to move on from. But it's not… He really is in love with you, isn't he?"

Nina was going to throw up, "Kushina, he doesn't—"

But Kushina held her hand up and Nina stopped talking. She swore to herself that she was going to do this Kushina's way, no matter how much it hurt.

"I know him better than anyone. I know him better than you, better than Jiraiya, and probably even better than himself. And I know when he's in love, and I'm telling you he's in love… Just not with me."

Nina looked away from Kushina and hung her head between her shoulders, willing herself not to cry. This was all her fault and she hated herself for it.

"Kushina, I am so, _so_ sorry," Nina whispered.

She could hear Kushina suck in another breath.

"I'm sorry too," Kushina said and Nina hated herself even more than she thought possible. "But I'm actually kind of relieved. How twisted is that?"

Nina could feel a crease in her forehead form, and she risked a look at Kushina. She looked just as melancholy as she did before, but she shrugged as they made eye contact.

"You're my friend. You've known how I felt about the marriage for long enough. I think I just so badly wanted to hold on to what me and Minato had. He even asked me not too long ago if I still wanted to get married and when I told him I did, he looked pretty upset but didn't say anything. I just… I don't know how to be without him, Nina."

Nina didn't look away from Kushina. She didn't look angry yet, and Nina couldn't understand why. Why wasn't Kushina screaming at her yet?

"But I can't marry him. Not even just because he's in love with you, but because I don't want to marry him."

If Kushina could just stop being such a great person for five seconds, this might have been a little easier on Nina. Nina knew how to deal with screaming and yelling and cursing. But this quiet disappointment?

Jumping off a cliff would be less painful.

"Kushina," Nina stopped once again, when Kushina put her hand back up. She guessed that Kushina wanted to do this without Nina interjecting, and Nina painfully accepted this and shut up.

"I was given some really great advice today… ' _It's better to be alone than to wish you were alone_ '. I think I'm ready to be alone now."

Nina looked away from Kushina and set her coffee cup down so she could bury her face in her hands and hide from her own shame.

"Goodnight, Nina."

* * *

Fun fact. The whole "it's better to be alone than to wish you were alone," is something my mother has been saying to me and my sisters since we were all in middle school. So it actually came from somewhere!

Leave your thoughts in the reviews!


	20. Chapter 19

***Author's note: Skips around a lot! Sorry about that!***

* * *

"Whatever hole you crawled out of you can return to it because we're not interested in anything you have to say," Tobirama Senju said with his lip curling into a snarl at the sight of Madara Uchiha walking into the conference room.

Madara gave the white haired man the nastiest glare he could muster. He never liked that one. Not ever.

"Madara, while I am very happy to see you, it is a bit unexpected," Hashirama said. He wore a friendly smile when Madara walked in the room and looked at Madara like an old friend—which they were not.

He had to swallow his pride though. While he still wanted at least some control of Konoha Enterprises (since you know, he helped build the damn thing), it wasn't worth it to go about it the way he was. He let his pride and ego get the better of him when Danzo Shimura contacted him with some grand plan. And now that the plan was about to come to fruition, he was about to set fire to the whole thing because of a stubborn dark haired girl he met several years ago when she came into Mangekyo demanding a job.

"I am here to provide you with an answer to your current dilemma," Madara said through his teeth.

The brothers were silent.

Madara took that as his cue and he pulled out photos from a folder and slid them over to the brothers. The photos were of emails, text messages, and written agreements between himself and Danzo. The documents included just about every detail they needed, only lacking the parts about Nagato being a crime boss and who he would put a hit on. But the part where Nagato and Danzo agreed to frame Minato to proceed with a hostile takeover? That was included.

For as smart as Danzo was, he was an idiot for having everything in writing.

"I should have you taken out of here in handcuffs," Tobirama snapped after his eyes grazed over the papers in front of him.

Hashirama frowned and rubbed his forehead with his thumb, seemingly deep in thought. But he addressed his brother before he addressed Madara, "I'm assuming Minato knew about this, or had a suspicion, because of how hostile he and Danzo were to each other during yesterday's meeting."

Tobirama nodded in agreement as he put the papers back on the table.

Hashirama then looked at Madara, "we're grateful. We are. This lawsuit could have been the end of the company. But why are you telling us about it if you were to benefit from everything?"

Madara pursed his lips as he tried as hard as he possibly could to swallow his pride, all while simultaneously glaring at Hashirama.

"Because someone who is very dear to me almost got hurt in all of this."

"Yesterday's shooting," Hashirama stated. Madara didn't dignify that with a nod or response, but Hashirama wasn't stupid. He obviously knew that was the reason.

"Makes sense you'd want to protect this person. After what happened to Izuna I'm sure you still blame yourself," Hashirama said.

Madara once again didn't dignify that with a response.

His little brother was killed in a drive by shooting many years ago. It happened at the same time he was booted from his own company, and it was one the darkest periods he had ever entered in his life.

Pouring all of his energy into Mangekyo was the only thing that kept him going.

"What's your price for this information?" Tobirama asked.

"That you leave me out of it," Madara responded, not missing a beat.

"That's all?" Hashirama asked incredulously.

Madara huffed and crossed his arms, "that's all. I'm sure you'll find a fitting punishment for Danzo, so I don't need that in my terms."

Hashirama briefly looked at Tobirama, but then his eyes were on Madara once again with a look that Madara knew was going to end with Hashirama asking him to stick around. So Madara rolled his eyes and braced himself for the worst.

"Thank you, Madara. We'll be able to put an end to this lawsuit and Minato will keep his job," Hashirama said with a smile on his face. "I'm sorry about how this all turned out, and if we never pushed you out you wouldn't have ended up in the position you are in now. I'm sure we could speak with the board about issuing you some shares and—"

" _Brother_ ," Tobirama snapped.

Madara scoffed, "thanks for that, but no. I don't need any of this business's shares. I've got my own business to take care of."

Hashirama's face fell, but he nodded nonetheless. Madara hated the fact that he had to do this in the first place, and the least Hashirama could do was let him leave with his dignity. Accepting some shares because Hashirama pitied him was the last thing Madara would ever be caught doing.

The important thing was that the Senju's had all the information to press charges and deal with Danzo.

And that meant his pain in the ass dancer that he did this all for would be safe from Danzo and Nagato's guys.

For fuck's sake. When had he gotten so soft?

* * *

"That was Hashirama," Jiraiya said, coming back into Minato's hospital room.

Minato was more lucid today than yesterday now that the anesthesia had completely worn off. He couldn't remember much from yesterday, only that a bunch of his coworkers stopped by in the evening. He vaguely remembered Shikaku, Kakashi and some of the other salesmen, and Hiruzen, but that was about it. His memory of the day was still really foggy.

"Did he call to tell you that I'm fired?"

Jiraiya shot him a smirk, "actually, it was good news. For you and for the lawsuit."

Minato stared, waiting for Jiraiya to continue, "spit it out then."

"He didn't say where he got the information, but he did say that he knew about Danzo working with Nagato. Police arrested him this morning and they're pressing charges."

Minato was silent. So… Was that it? Was it over?

"So… I'm off the hook?"

Jiraiya's face split into a grin that lit his entire face up, "you're still gonna have to be interrogated by the Senju's and the board, but yes, Minato. You're off the hook!"

Minato rocked his head back against the pillows, putting both of his hands to his head. It was done then. He never felt so relieved before in his life. He wasn't going to lose his job, Danzo wasn't going to go ahead with his hostile takeover—if he wasn't confined to a hospital bed, he would have had a glass of vodka to celebrate.

Kushina came in then, pausing to raise an eyebrow at Jiraiya.

"What's got you so happy?"

"You wanna tell her?" Jiraiya asked.

Minato looked at Kushina as she crossed the room to sit in the chair beside his bed. She held his gaze, but didn't smile at him or anything.

"The Senju's found out that Danzo was behind the lawsuit and that he was working with The Akatsuki Group. So my job is safe," Minato said, smiling in spite of himself. To be able to say that after all the bullshit felt so incredibly good.

"That's great," Kushina said. She gave him an incredibly tight smile, and Minato felt the corner of his lips tug into a frown. Something was wrong with her.

"I'll give you two a minute," Jiraiya said. Then he walked out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Minato asked, pulling himself up straight, grunting in the process as pain shot through his chest and shoulder.

Kushina laced her fingers through his and was quiet at first.

"Kushina—"

"I don't want to get married."

Minato held his breath, staring at her like a deer in the headlights. He definitely had to be imagining this. Kushina would never really…

"And I know that you don't want to either," she said as she looked up at him through her lashes, Minato let out a sigh and squeezed her hand. He didn't even know what to say to that. So he just shook his head as his eyes fell.

It was quiet again, the only sound in the room coming from medical equipment and the clock on the wall.

"…I think I'm in love with someone else," Minato said, so softly he wasn't even sure if either of them heard it, but Kushina did. She was nodding while wearing a bittersweet smile.

"You only think? Because I know you are," she said.

He looked down, ashamed of him and said, "Kushina, I'm sorry."

Kushina nodded. He could see how busy her thoughts were just from the look on her face. She was probably trying contain an angry outburst. And if she did decide to rip him a new one, he would have definitely deserved it.

"It's Nina, isn't it? Someone doesn't take a bullet for a coworker unless they're in love with them."

Minato held in a sigh, "yes."

Kushina let go of his hand and leaned back in the chair. She rested her chin on her hand and studied him with those big blue eyes of hers, "I should have guessed. She looked like she had seen a ghost when she realized that we were together. And whenever I asked her about the guy she had a thing for she got all fidgety and would always deny that anything was going on."

Minato squeezed his eyes shut, trying to compose his thoughts, "nothing was going on."

"Well I know you kissed her. She told me," Kushina remarked. There was only a slight edge in her words, and Minato really felt he deserved worse than that.

"That was it and it only happened recently—Kushina, I'm so sorry. If you want to punch me or slap me or anything else—you have my full permission," Minato said. God, he really was an awful person, wasn't he?

"While I'd love to," Kushina said, still working hard to compose herself. "I can't do that when you're in the hospital. Dr. Nakano worked very hard to save your life and I don't intend to throw that in her face."

Minato didn't have anything to say to that.

"But for what it's worth, I'm not in love with you either," Kushina tacked on after Minato had ample time to hate himself just a little bit more.

Despite the initial shock at hearing her words, Minato wasn't actually surprised at all. He knew that for quite sometime. But hearing it still stung just a little bit.

"You haven't been for a long time," Minato said with a smirk to spite himself.

Kushina laughed, "no, I haven't. And I haven't been very good to you either."

Minato scoffed. That was an understatement… But Kushina shot him a glare sharper than daggers, so he shut up real quick.

She then softened her gaze and smiled at him, though it was still bittersweet, "I do love you though, I'm just not in love with you. You're my best friend, Minato."

Minato let a small smile sneak its way onto his face, "couldn't have said it better myself."

Kushina got up from the chair and sat on the edge of his bed, and Minato took her hand once again, and rubbed his thumb against it. There was too much history between them for him to not at least be a little upset over how everything went down.

"I'm gonna go stay with my aunt for a little while—at least until I get back on my feet."

Minato's eyebrows furrowed, "Kushina, I'm not kicking you out."

"I know," Kushina said with a chuckle under her breath, "but the condo is really yours. You bought it. You pay for it. It's yours."

He went to interject, but she used her free hand to put it over his mouth and he huffed with an eye roll and shut up.

"We haven't been ourselves for a long time. I mean really, when was the last time we were actually Minato and Kushina? We've changed so much since we first got together as kids that we're really not the same people anymore," Kushina paused and looked to the side. "But that's okay."

Minato looked at her with fond eyes. He spent nearly half his life with her. She was his best friend. His rock. Nothing could ever change that. But she wasn't the love of his life. Not anymore—not for some time now.

"Don't hold it against Nina," Minato said.

Kushina shot him a look, "I don't. I think she holds it against herself though."

Of course she did. Nina didn't know how _not_ to hold something against herself.

They were quiet again, until Kushina looked at him and leaned forward, kissing him briefly on the lips one last time.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said softly.

Minato gave her a bittersweet smile, "me too."

* * *

Nina huffed when she looked at her apartment. The doorknob was shot, hanging on only with the help a mangled screw. There was broken glass on her floor, her coffee table was destroyed, and part of the wall was badly damaged. But aside from that, the rest of her shitty apartment seemed to be okay.

She sighed and sat down on her sofa, assessing at the damage. It would take several weeks of saving to repair and replace everything.

And after she handed in her resignation to Jiraiya, she knew she would be lucky if that's all it took, since she was going to have to go back to working one job.

Plus, forget paying for her father's medical bills. It's not like he had health insurance.

She was going to be taking her clothes off for cash until she was an old hag at this rate.

The only good thing was that she was out of the hospital and away from everyone from Konoha Enterprises who were visiting Minato. She didn't want to see all of their judging faces since it was her father who attracted the shooter in the first place.

She actually wasn't even planning on going home, worried that one of Nagato's guys was going to get her while she was alone, but after a brief phone call with Madara where he told her she didn't have to worry about that, she decided to leave and go home to see the damage for herself.

She didn't know how much time passed since she sat on her couch and stared at the mess that was now her home, but she broke out of her trance when she got a phone call.

"Hello?" she asked, not even looking at who was calling her.

"YOU QUIT?"

Nina held the phone away from her ear and winced, putting it back when the yelling had stopped.

"Hi, Obito," she grumbled when he stopped.

"Why?" Obito shouted again.

Nina frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose, "it's complicated."

"Well you better get explaining," he demanded.

Nina wished she could tell him what he wanted to hear. She wished she could tell him that she wasn't actually quitting, that it was all just a mistake, but she couldn't. Jiraiya was more than happy to accept her letter of resignation and she was more than happy to give it.

"You'll hate me if I do," she said softly.

Obito hesitated before he responded, "I highly doubt that."

Nina reclined into her sofa, running her fingers through her inky black hair, absentmindedly examining the ends. She needed a cut, and preferably before her next shift at Mangekyo.

"I don't," she said.

"…you okay?"

Nina's first instinct was to tell him that she was. Force of habit dictated that she lie and assure him that she was fine, but this was Obito, and he deserved the truth.

"No," she answered.

Then she hung up.

* * *

Minato was in the hospital three days before he was finally allowed to leave. His shoulder and chest were still extremely sore, but after being given some painkillers, he was allowed to be on his way. He had tried to find out how Nina's father was doing, but no one knew and the hospital staff wouldn't tell him because of privacy reasons, and Nina never stopped by to see him. So he was in the dark about the whole thing and when he was released, Jiraiya brought him straight to the car and didn't let him stop to check.

"Any word from the Senju's?" Minato asked as Jiraiya headed in the direction of his condo.

"No," Jiraiya mumbled.

Minato rolled his eyes and rested his head against the car window. Kushina left him and when Jiraiya found out, he chewed him out for at least ten straight minutes, seemingly without stopping to even breathe. And as it would appear, Jiraiya was still pissed.

"Christ, Jiraiya. Give me a break. I was just shot," Minato said.

"You were shot because you took a bullet for _your secretary_ ," Jiraiya hissed.

Minato's jaw clenched. He was getting real sick of Jiraiya's shit when it came to Nina. He had been making snide comments from the minute he woke up to the minute they got in the car to leave the hospital.

"How do you really feel, Jiraiya? Because I have no idea," Minato remarked.

"Don't give me attitude, Minato. Don't," Jiraiya snapped.

For Christ's sake, Jiraiya was just not going to let up was he? He was going to take this thing to his damn grave. Minato could have been on his death bed and Jiraiya would still be holding this over his head.

"My problems with Kushina started long before Nina came into the picture," Minato pointed out, hoping to make Jiraiya see the light.

It didn't work.

"We're not discussing this," Jiraiya interrupted. "You're just lucky that your secretary is smart enough to leave before she gets fired. Because that is the _only_ saving grace in this whole fucked up situation."

Minato narrowed his eyes and craned his neck over his shoulder to look at Jiraiya from the passenger's seat.

"What was that?"

"You heard me," Jiraiya snapped. But then it seemed that Jiraiya just realized what he said, because he was suddenly clearing his throat and trying to look nonchalant while merging onto the highway.

"She quit?" Minato demanded.

Jiraiya, not one to lose his pride, puffed out his chest, "as a matter of fact she did."

" _When_?"

"The other day," Jiraiya said, still clinging to his sense of what was right. "She handed me a letter and I accepted it. She left quietly and we'll find a new admin to help Obito—and I'll be the one to interview them this time. I'm not going to let you further embarrass yourself. We'll find someone who isn't too pretty, who can do the job, and we'll make sure Obito is the only person who will be working directly with you."

Minato gaped at Jiraiya. It was like he wasn't the same person. The Jiraiya that Minato knew would never be so spiteful. Angry? Sure. Spiteful? No.

"Do you hear yourself right now?" Minato asked.

"I'm saying this because I care about you!" Jiraiya argued.

"Jiraiya, _listen to yourself_!" Minato shouted, finally having enough of Jiraiya's shit. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? I get that you're pissed at me because of everything with Kushina and because I acted like an idiot, but do you honestly hear yourself right now? You'll find an admin who isn't too pretty? You'll make sure Obito is the only person who will work directly with me? You sound ridiculous."

Jiraiya clenched the steering wheel, "what am I supposed to say? I watched you just ruin your relationship with Kushina all because you had a girl with long legs and a tight ass working as your admin. What the hell else am I supposed to say? I'm on damage control here, Minato," Jiraiya shouted, focusing solely on the road and not so much as even risking a glance at Minato.

The only thing Minato could do was stare at him and shake his head.

"You know what? She has a name, Jiraiya. And I'm sorry you hate yourself so much for what happened with Tsunade that you feel the need to vicariously live through me but—"

"Wow you really went there, huh?" Jiraiya said with a scoff.

Minato squeezed his eyes shut. He shouldn't have said that. He really shouldn't have gone that far.

"I shouldn't have said that," Minato admitted.

"You think?" Jiraiya grumbled.

Minato huffed and turned his head to face the window. He was still doped up on painkillers, so he was a little foggy, but not foggy enough to justify his words—no matter how true they were. He knew how Jiraiya felt about that subject, and he knew better than to bring it up.

"I'm sorry. But Kushina and I were not going to last, and if we did actually end up getting married, we would have been divorced. She knew that and so did I. We just didn't know how to end things."

Jiraiya didn't say anything and Minato rubbed his arm awkwardly as the silence stretched on. If Jiraiya didn't want to talk then he wouldn't force it. But he would get to the bottom of this one way or another.

Nina couldn't just quit…

Could she?"

* * *

"Back again, Kid? Shouldn't you be with your old man?" Tsunade asked. She stood behind Nina as she sat in front of the mirror at Mangekyo and glued her false eyelashes on.

"Doctors say he'll be in there for a while and I have to start saving so I can help with his medical bills and put my apartment back together," Nina's eyes flickered to the worried look on Tsunade's face and she flashed the woman a smile. "Ain't no rest for the wicked, right?"

"I guess not," Tsunade said.

It had been a little over a week since the shooting and Nina was slowly starting to fall back into a rhythm. She visited her father every day at the hospital, avoided Obito's phone calls like the plague, and went back to devoting her time and energy to Mangekyo. She hadn't heard from Kushina or Minato, not that she expected to. And in fact, the only contact she had with anyone from Konoha Enterprises at all had been with two of the organization's attorneys who were pressing charges against Danzo.

It was a slow and painful process, but Nina was finally starting to pick up the pieces of her life.

Nina looked away from Tsunade and went on fluffing her eyelashes. She wasn't scheduled to go on for another hour or so, but she was going to go to the front of the house to try and push some drinks on the floor for extra cash.

When she was satisfied with her hair and makeup, Nina stood up and smoothed out her little black dress. She would have to change before she went on stage, but this would do for the front of the house.

But when she turned around to leave the back, Tsunade stood in her way.

"What's wrong?" Nina asked.

"Are you okay?" Tsunade asked, putting her hands on either side of Nina's face and looking her in the eye.

Nina tried to play it casual, rolling her eyes with a fake laugh, "come on, you're being weird. I'm fine."

Tsunade definitely wasn't fooled, but she let go of Nina nonetheless and gestured for her to go to the front of the house. Nina smiled at her, but Tsunade only returned it with a half hearted one.

Nina made her way to the bar, smiling at the clientele and flirting with them or throwing a wink at them if needed. Her usual clients seemed ecstatic that she had been around lot more lately than she had been for a while, and her tips were already seeing a healthy increase. So yeah, being there all the time was annoying, but there were worse things.

She narrowed her eyes when she saw that Ay was out from behind the bar, standing by the door with Bee. That usually only happened with the rowdiest club goers—you know, the ones like Hanzo who punched girls and left them with black eyes. Nine out of ten times Bee could handle it, but sometimes he needed backup.

So naturally expecting the worst, she walked up to them to see what was going on so she would know whether or not to get Madara involved.

"If you got any sense of self preservation you'll leave, you little punk," Bee warned.

Nina craned her neck to look over Bee's shoulders. It didn't look like they were in the middle of a fight, so she figured it was safe enough for her to get closer.

"What's going on?" Nina asked, squeezing between the brothers.

"Nothing, we were just kicking this punk out," Ay explained, forcefully shoving the person back.

When Nina finally got between them, she blinked, completely dumbfounded at who they were kicking out.

"Obito?" She asked in disbelief.

Obito's dark eyes fell on her and then they did a sweep of her attire and his face was turning a light pink as he focused on her face again.

"What are you doing here?" She pressed.

"You know him?" Bee asked.

"I'm here to see you! You've been ignoring my calls for a week! What gives!" Obito shouted, gesturing animatedly at where she stood.

"He's my friend and Madara's nephew, so you two better back off," Nina said to Ay and Bee. She watched Ay and Bee give each other a look, but she was shooing them away nonetheless. "I'm serious! Everything's fine. I'll holler if I need you."

Obito stood there and crossed his arms, glowering at her.

Nina sighed, "come on, let's go outside where I can hear you."

They stepped outside and Nina put her hand on his back and ushered him between two buildings so they weren't in the middle of all the people on the street.

"What the hell, Nina? You just leave without an explanation?" Obito asked, looking at her with those big dark eyes.

Nina sighed and crossed her arms, "what do you want me to say? I couldn't stay after that. It's my fault Minato got shot. If it wasn't for my father—"

Obito interrupted her right away, "you didn't quit because of the shooting. You quit because you and Minato had a thing and you felt guilty."

Nina's mouth was suddenly very dry and her stomach leapt into her throat when the realization that Obito _knew_ hit her like a semi.

"Yeah, I know," Obito mumbled. "Everyone knows."

" _Oh God_ ," Nina groaned. She could feel bile rise in her throat and put her hands to her forehead and was overwhelmed with the urge to bash her head into the brick wall behind her. She really couldn't go one week without screwing everything up, could she?

She dared a glance at Obito, "how?"

Obito looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "what? Are you serious?"

" _Obito_!" Nina shrieked.

Obito suddenly cracked a smile, "Nina, the guy took a bullet for you. What do you mean 'how'?"

Wait… So that was it? There wasn't some scandalous news story covering the story about Konoha Enterprises' unfaithful CEO? Just… Some speculation?

"That's it?" Nina whispered.

Obito chuckled, "well that's not _it_. He took a bullet for you and then when he came back to work the news that he and Kushina called their engagement off spread like wildfire. It was the only logical explanation and if you asked him about it he never denied anything."

"Obito, I'm so sorry. I know how much you love Kushina."

Obito shrugged, "Kushina's great, but everyone knew they were about five seconds away from killing each other. People who are always in that state probably shouldn't get married. Shit happens, you know?"

Nina sighed. For some reason his words didn't make her feel any better.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Nina finally asked. She was tired of how nice everyone was being to her. Even Kushina had been relatively nice when they talked at the hospital. Why was no one getting in her face and calling her a good for nothing home wrecker? Hell. The only person who treated her the way she deserved to be treated was Jiraiya.

Obito looked confused, "what do you mean?"

Nina groaned, "It's my fault Minato and Kushina aren't getting married!"

Obito shook his head, "uh they weren't going to get married, Nina. And if they did, they would have been divorced in a year. You just… Helped the process along," Obito snickered at the end of his comment and Nina just looked at him dumbfounded.

"Stop being so dramatic. This whole thing is blowing over," Obito said with a grin working its way onto his face.

Nina could feel her forehead crease as she looked at Obito. He really wasn't mad at her. He wasn't holding any of it against her…

"So much for us being old hags with a bunch of cats. I'm gonna be on my own," Obito tacked on when she still was silent.

And it worked, because a weak laugh escaped from Nina's mouth, and she couldn't help the smile that she was giving Obito.

"Oh no you're not. I'm cursed to be alone," Nina said with a smirk in spite of herself.

"Yeah? Does Minato know that? Because I think he'd disagree," Obito teased.

Nina hated the fact that at the mention of him her stomach did flips. After all of the bullshit you'd think she would have learned her lesson. But apparently not so much.

"Shut up, Obito. I'm swearing off men. I'm going to become a nun," Nina said, softly smacking him in the arm.

"Oooh, stripper turned nun. How very exotic of you, _Katia_ ," Obito snickered when her stage name left his mouth. Nina gaped at him, and didn't even bother asking how he found that out.

When he stopped laughing he gave Nina one of his huge smiles, the one that started all the way down at his toes and reached all the way up to high heaven.

"How 'bout it? You gonna come back? Or are you gonna leave me to drown in ordering binders and managing schedules on my own?"

Nina sucked in a breath and shook her head, "probably not for the best if I come back right now."

Obito scoffed but he shrugged again, "that's okay. I'll change your mind soon enough."

Nina chuckled and smiled, "I'm actually really glad you stopped by."

"Me too. But next time call off your guard dogs," Obito said.

Obito held his arms out and Nina hugged him with all her might. Even if everything else turned to shit, at least Obito would be there for her.

And she could live with that.

* * *

"You've been hovering around me a lot, and normally I would be pissed, but since you're buying me food I'm going to shut up and ignore it," Nina said to Tsunade. Tsunade took her out for brunch one morning downtown after Nina got back from the hospital from visiting her father. From what she gathered, her father's gunshot wounds were pretty serious because of the fact that they were in his abdomen and since he was at a much higher risk for infection. So he was going on two weeks being stuck there.

"You're working yourself to death, Kid. It's the least I can do."

Nina looked up at Tsunade as she sipped her coffee. Ever since the shooting Tsunade had become a protective mother bear around her. She wasn't even letting Madara give her a hard time lately, which just downright weird to not have to be bickering with him all the time. But Nina knew that this wouldn't last, so she figured she would enjoy it while she could.

They were at a little café, sitting at one of their outside tables since the weather was nice enough for it, and it was the first time in a long while that Nina actually felt content.

But of course that couldn't last, now could it?

And that was because Tsunade loved to people watch whenever they went out to eat, and that people watching was the exact problem with what just happened.

" _Jiraiya_?" Tsunade blurted.

Nina's eyes doubled in size and she turned around in her chair to see Jiraiya walking down the street in a suit, looking at his phone as he did.

But when he looked up and saw Tsunade, his whole face whitened and he just stood there, jaw slack and eyes glued to the blonde woman without saying a single word.

"Holy shit," Tsunade said. She stood up and walked over to Jiraiya, wrapping her arms around him for a brief hug, before pulling back and looking at him like a long lost friend.

"Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked. His voice was softer than Nina had ever heard it, and she was immediately narrowing her eyes and analyzing every little interaction between the two of them. Jiraiya had been nothing but cruel to her, and to see him all star struck at Tsunade was enough to warrant suspicion.

"How many years has it been?" Tsunade asked.

"Uh, a few," Jiraiya said slowly. His eyes shifted from side to side, as if he wasn't sure if he was in a dream or reality.

"How've you been?" Tsunade asked. Nina ducked her head in case Jiraiya looked in her direction. She was finally starting to feel better, and if Jiraiya noticed her, she was sure he would have something nasty to say and it would have ruined her whole mood.

"Just been working. Some crazy shit has been going on," Jiraiya said.

Nina wasn't looking at them anymore, but judging from how soft his voice still was, he was probably totally absorbed in Tsunade. She tended to have that effect on men.

"Same here," Tsunade remarked. "Do you… Do you wanna sit down? It's just me and my friend and I'm sure she won't mind the company."

" _Tsunade, don't. No, no, no_ ," Nina whispered to herself, ducking her head farther down.

"Nina, you don't mind, do you?"

Nina hissed through her teeth as if she was in pain, and slowly brought her head back up, knowing full well that her face was contorted into a grimace.

She met Jiraiya's briefly and then looked at Tsunade when Jiraiya let out a loud scoff when he saw her.

"You are just the problem that never goes away, aren't you?" Jiraiya asked. But he didn't sound mad. He just sounded fed up.

Nina's shoulders slumped forward and she rubbed the back of her neck. She could have said the same thing to him.

"Excuse me?" Tsunade snapped, immediately turning on Jiraiya in an instant.

Jiraiya huffed and gestured to Nina and then Tsunade, "so you're with her?"

Tsunade crossed her arms, now glaring at the white haired man, "as a matter of fact I am. Is that a problem?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and looked back at Nina, "you know, I hope you're happy. You broke up an impending marriage. Hope you're real satisfied."

Nina's heart hit the floor and she put her elbows on the table and put her hand to her forehead, looking down as guilt washed over her.

"Jiraiya, I'm gonna need you to back off right now," Tsunade warned.

Nina didn't hear him say anything, so she lifted her head to see the two in the middle of a staring competition. Trying to get a hold of her nerve, Nina cleared her throat to get their attention, and right on cue, they both turned to her.

"I haven't even talked to him once since the shooting, Jiraiya. Thought you might want to know."

She looked away from them and took a sip of her water, careful to avoid even looking in his general direction. She didn't want to see the nasty look on his face or get verbally ripped apart in public. She didn't need that.

Tsunade could be heard saying something, but Nina tuned them out. So far, Obito and Shikaku were the only ones who reached out to her. Obito obviously making a big display by coming to Mangekyo, and Shikaku being more reserved with just sending her a supportive email with his contact information in case she ever wanted to talk. She didn't hear from anyone else, which was fine, but more importantly, she didn't hear from Minato.

She could have texted or called him, and she thought about it too because she was worried about him after the shooting. But she knew he had to be okay because he was back at work. Which meant he just didn't want to talk to her.

Even though she knew it was for the better, it still sucked.

But if Jiraiya wanted to come up to her and give her hard time about it, fine. But she wasn't going to let him get carried away and accuse her of still talking to him because she wasn't.

Nina's mind came back to reality when Tsunade was sitting across from her again, scowling and angrily putting her water to her lips and chugging it in one motion.

"How do you know Jiraiya?" Nina asked quietly.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, " _tch_ , we used to be together way back when."

Nina blinked.

"What?" She deadpanned.

"We dated. For a while too. And we were totally in love," Tsunade explained, her voice clipped and still looking supremely agitated with a slight curl to her upper lip. Nina didn't speak. She just stared at Tsunade, astonished. She knew about Dan, but that was it. She never heard the name Jiraiya before…

"Sooo," Nina muttered, hoping she would continue.

"Cheated on me. And that was that. I kicked him to the curb and never looked back," Tsunade said without missing a beat.

Nina gaped at her and sucked in a breath. It all made sense. Jiraiya's nasty attitude towards her. The way he was just horrible to her. No wonder he was so awful. Nina was a constant reminder to him about what he did to Tsunade. He had to watch Minato, someone he loved, struggle with his own relationship and make the same mistakes he made.

"No kidding," Nina said under her breath.

Suddenly Jiraiya didn't seem so bad.

"Don't listen to him, Kid. He's just still mad he screwed up with me and he's taking that anger out on you. He'll come around. He always does."

"Yeah…"

* * *

Minato stared at his phone on the coffee table.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, but it felt like days.

He wanted to talk to Nina. He wanted to talk to her the minute he woke up in the hospital, and he should have tried to reach out to her the minute he was out of the hospital, but he was still adjusting to not having Kushina around, and to all the gossip at work. Not to mention he was spending, on average, three hours a day, with attorneys who were building a case against Danzo. With the way everything was turning out, the Senju's were not going to let him get away with _anything_.

So his days were packed, and when he got home he just kinda sat there, stretching out his arm so it didn't hurt so much. He had plenty of painkillers to take to alleviate some of the soreness there, but he didn't want to rely on them too much and then have to up his dosage. So he would just sit there at night, staring at his phone, and moving his arm in pain.

He might have called her sooner if he didn't ask Obito how she was. Obito told him that she was okay and working at Mangekyo still.

The thought of her having to work there made his stomach hurt, as he just absolutely despised the fact that she was taking her clothes off for money just to get by. If she wasn't so stubborn and would just come back to work… Who cared what people said? She needed a job that didn't consist of taking her clothes off and dancing to shitty music.

Giving it absolutely no more thought, Minato snatched his phone off the table and went into his contacts and dialed a number.

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times…

Minato squeezed his eyes shut, about to hang up on the fourth ring until…

"Hello?"

* * *

"I'm gonna throw up," Nina said to herself, tapping her foot on the floor and looking around her shitty apartment for the millionth time. It was as put together as it possibly could be after the break in. She replaced the doorknob and locks on the door, and threw out her busted up coffee table. The one wall still had a hole in it, and she was pretty sure that there might have been a bullet up in the ceiling above the couch, but there wasn't much she could do about that until her landlord decided that he wanted to fix it.

"Oh God, I'm gonna throw up," she hissed to herself and got up to pace around the living room, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.

Minato called that afternoon.

It was awkward at first, neither of them really knowing what to say. But he asked how her dad was, and she asked how he was. And after some small talk, somehow he ended up suggesting that they should meet up to talk face to face, and somehow the place they came to agreement on was her ratty little apartment.

Nina was out when this conversation happened, so when she finally got home, she didn't have time to change to make herself look more presentable. So she was going to have to talk to him looking like a hot mess, in some ripped jeans and an old band t-shirt with day old hair.

 _Knock knock_

Her heart damn near exploded.

Nina held her breath as she walked over and opened the door to let Minato in.

He was dressed down again and Nina's stomach flipped. She almost wished that he came in a suit, because it was easier to remind herself that she had no business having feelings for him when he was dressed like the hot shot corporate executive that he was. But when he was dressed down? It was like he was on her level again.

"Hey," she said, her voice squeaking.

Minato smiled at her and her stomach continued to do more somersaults.

"Hey," he said back.

Nina ushered him inside and she closed the door behind him. And just like that, she was supremely self conscious of the state of her apartment. The one end of her couch had springs sticking up in it and there was a giant hole in the wall for Christ's sake. Why she agreed to let the CEO of Konoha Enterprises come to her crappy apartment she would never know, but she was already seriously regretting it.

"Sorry, if you want to sit down you have to sit on this end of the couch because—"

"I know," Minato said, offering her a shy smile. "I've been here before, remember?"

Nina had almost forgotten actually. But then she was recalling it all in an instant, being at the bar with Bee, Minato being completely wasted and the two of them dragging him out the bar before someone mugged him… But what she remembered most was what a funny drunk he was.

"I almost forgot," Nina admitted, sitting down on the couch beside him. "Don't know how because you're hysterical when you've had too much to drink."

Minato chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "so I've been told."

Nina bit down on the inside of her cheek and looked around. Why did she agree to this?

"So uh," he cleared his throat, "your apartment…"

Nina sighed, "yeah, it's a little worse for wear. Those guys that broke in trying to get to my dad really did a number," she pointed her thumb to the wall that led to the hallway and Minato's bright blue eyes followed and he frowned when he saw it.

"Nina, I'm sorry," Minato said, those blue irises coming back to rest on her.

"Eh, it's fine. My landlord was… Well he was an ass, but he said he'll get it fixed eventually."

Minato shook his head, obviously not happy with her answer, but at least he left it alone. He never looked happy when she mentioned things like the state of her apartment, or the fact that she had to walk home from work in the dark, or anything like that.

"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner," he said, his eyes falling away from her face. Nina shifted where she sat and brought her legs up to sit on them and leaned far back into her couch cushions, as if that would somehow make her smaller.

"I didn't expect you to call at all," she admitted under her breath.

"What?" Minato asked, his eyes on her once again.

Nina shrugged, "well I mean with everything that happened—why would you want to?"

Minato's eyes narrowed and a crease in his forehead appeared, "you don't really think that, right?"

When she was silent his frown only intensified and he scooted a little closer to her.

"Nina, I took a bullet for you—"

"I _know_ and everyone on this planet seems to want to remind me of that," she bit back without warning. She immediately pursed her lips the minute the words left her mouth, because Minato actually looked kind of… Well upset actually.

"And why do you think that is?" He pressed.

Nina looked to the side, "uh probably because they want to make me feel horrible."

"Nina," Minato moved even closer to her, his thumb and index finger holding her chin and directing her to look at him. "Everyone is bringing it up because anyone with common sense knows that I took that bullet for you because I'm in love with you."

"…"

She froze, mouth dry, palms sweaty, locked in a stare with him.

"Please say something before I have an aneurysm," Minato said softly and letting go of her chin, but still sitting close enough for her to feel his breath on her face.

Her eyes flickered away from his, "that's sweet, Minato. It's really sweet. But you're probably not totally right in the head right now since you and Kushina broke things off and you might just be lonely so I don't think you should say something like that."

Now it was Minato's turn to be silent, probably thinking of some way to let her down nicely when he realized that she was right. But he didn't.

"…You are the biggest pain in my ass."

Nina's gaze flashed up, "excuse me?"

Minato pulled back a bit and let out a laugh in spite of himself and looked at her as he shook his head incredulously, "you heard me. You are the biggest pain in my ass. I'm literally sitting in your house, after _taking a bullet for you_ , telling you that I'm in love with you and you're still pushing me away for some reason."

Nina blinked dumbly.

"Kushina and I ended things not just because how I feel about you, but because we weren't supposed to be together, and we really should have ended things a long time ago. I know you two were friends, so you feel really horrible, but Nina, it's okay. I'm telling you that everything is okay," Minato promised, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking at her with those sky bright eyes of his.

She pulled back, trying to muster up a glare. Was she the only one with a conscience here?

"It isn't okay, Minato!" She snapped, finally getting ahold of herself. "Forget the fact that you were sneaking around with me while you were still engaged, and to my friend no less. How the hell am I supposed to look at you and _not_ feel like a giant piece of shit when I'm the home wrecker here, when I'm the reason you were shot, and when I'm the reason everyone is gossiping about you at work? Hmm? Care to explain that to me?"

Minato paused and tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, studying her with those blue eyes of his. Despite the fact that he was dressed down, and looked more like Minato and less like Mr. Namikaze, when he looked at her like that, he looked like a businessman who was assessing a new investment.

"All I can say is that the Kushina thing is not your fault. It's my fault _and_ her fault. One of us should have ended it. So fine. I shouldn't have snuck around with you, but you really can't be a home wrecker because there was never a home for you to wreck."

Nina scoffed, "don't try to be all clever with me."

She could tell he was fighting down a smile, but he still continued anyway, "and yeah. You were the reason I was shot, and don't think I won't tease you about that every single time I see you, because I absolutely will."

Nina glowered at him, but he was still fighting down that smile and kept talking so she couldn't interrupt him, "and people have been gossiping about me at work long before you came along. And I hate to break it to you, but no one at work is remotely surprised about me and Kushina. Well maybe Choza is, but he's not all that observant, so that's not saying much."

Nina didn't have a response to that. To any of that. It seemed that no matter what she said to him, he was going to come back with a rebuttal until she accepted his feelings.

"So unless you really don't feel the same way about me," he intertwined his fingers with hers and was smiling at her. "You're stuck with me, because I'm stupidly in love with you."

She took in a deep breath and watched him with careful eyes. He was being serious. Like really serious.

Not knowing what to say, she hesitantly rested her hand on the side of his face and tried to get her thoughts together.

"You know, you're a pain in my ass too," she muttered. Minato chuckled, but still leaned into her touch. "I mean really. I have to drag your drunk self out of sketchy bars, you're horrible at managing your own schedule, and you hardly know how to work the coffee machine."

"I know how to work it, I just don't have time," he said, now grinning at her.

Nina couldn't help the smile that snuck onto her face, "but despite all of that, I'm in love with you too. I have been for a while now and if you knew how long, you would be embarrassed."

It could not have been humanly possible for Minato to smile any harder than he was in that exact moment, because it lit up his entire face and Nina found herself smiling back at him without even meaning to.

Then he was kissing her, hard and passionate.

Nina wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His arms immediately snaked around her waist and pulled her into his lap.

It felt so _good_ to finally kiss him without all the guilt from the previous times. This time she could kiss him without constantly thinking of Kushina or of who would catch them. This time she could kiss him and really enjoy it, because this time he was _hers_.

He moved his hand to the side of her face to cradle it, and kiss her deeper, but was cut short by him pulling back and seething through his teeth suddenly.

"What's wrong?" She asked, immediately backing off and looking at him with wide eyes.

But when his pain subsided, he was giving her a reassuring smile, "just my shoulder."

Nina's eyes darted to his injured arm and then that's when she realized that her couch cushions, which belonged in a goddamn dumpster along with the rest of the furniture at this point, was offering almost zero support for his back and shoulder, and that he was probably leaning against some sort of jagged edge.

"I'm sorry, I need a new sofa," she said under her breath, and it elicited a breathy laugh from Minato, and he rested his hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer.

"It's fine, just c'mere," he muttered, already kissing her again.

But Nina didn't want him to be in pain, not after all the shit that was finally over with, and not after he had gotten out of the hospital not that long ago. So she pulled back and stood up, holding both of his hands in hers to pull him with her as gently as possible.

"My bed is softer," she explained when he was raising his eyebrows at her in confusion for getting up.

"You don't waste any time, do you? You invite me over to talk and not even an hour goes by and you're already taking me to bed?" he teased.

She cracked a grin as they walked into her room, and she looked over her shoulder.

"I was just trying to be considerate of your shoulder, but if you want to be like that then we can go back to the couch and have a nice evening watching jeopardy."

A grin split across his face and he shook his head, pulling her back into his arms, "not a chance."

Nina stood up on her tip toes so he didn't have to lean down so much, as to keep his pain to a minimum, and kissed him slow and deliberate, not wanting to rush anything. She wanted to take her time, and with how soft his touches were, he probably wanted the same.

Her knees then hit the back of the bed, and before she collapsed back onto it, she switched places with Minato and made him sit down on the bed.

"Let me help," she said softly.

He looked up at her with hungry eyes, but obliged and let her pull his shirt off.

Her eyes fell on his gunshot wound that was still bandaged on his chest and shoulder and her face fell.

"I'm so sorry," she said, feeling guilt wash over her.

But Minato was standing up again, bringing her into his arms.

"Stop," he whispered against her lips, kissing her softer than could have ever imagined.

Then he was slipping her shirt over her head and kissing every exposed inch of skin, starting at the base of her throat, going down her shoulder, across her chest, and eliciting a soft sigh from her.

"I'm sorry you got shot," she muttered.

Minato stopped kissing her and rested his forehead against hers, holding her with one hand on the back of head with the other on the small of her back.

"I would do it again if it kept you safe. Don't let it bother you because it doesn't bother me," he insisted. Nina bit her lower lip but still nodded.

"Okay you win," she relented.

" _Finally_ ," Minato teased, smirking at her again.

She chuckled softly and kissed him again, deeply enough to feel his arms ripple with gooseflesh and for him to pull her tight against him and guide them to her bed.

He hovered over her, resting most of his weight on his good arm, and kissed her hard, moving down and kissing that sensitive spot on her neck that was just below her ear.

She let out low moan and arched into him, just like last time. He was probably way too proud of himself for finding that spot on her, and she moaned again when she could feel his teeth graze the bottom of her ear.

He came back up to her lips and she bit his lower lip, knowing that it would do the same thing to him that kissing her neck did to her, and he groaned, kissing her harder as his free hand went down her body, sliding over her chest and down to the band of her jeans.

Nina pulled back, putting her hands on his chest and pushing him so she could start to get up, and once she had enough space, she gently pushed him back down on the bed, careful to avoid his bad shoulder, and straddled his hips in one fluid motion.

He didn't fight with her, though Nina was pretty certain that he was someone who usually liked to be in control, judging from the way he had a tendency to kiss her neck hard enough to bruise. And instead he looked up at her through half lidded eyes.

She leaned down to kiss his neck, occasionally nipping at the skin there to make him moan, all while she unbuttoned his pants, and then hers. He helped her slide them off, and then his hands were on all over her body, touching her soft and slow and giving her entire body goosebumps.

His arm then wrapped around her hips and he flipped them back over so he was hovering over her.

"Hey," she whined.

He smirked at her, "is there a problem?"

She chuckled and pecked him quickly on the lips, "no, but maybe I wanted to be on top."

"Maybe next time," he said, silencing her before she could argue with him, his lips were on hers, this time slipping his tongue past her lips and squeezing her hips hard enough to bruise, which drew a moan from her.

She could feel one of his hands make quick work of her bra and the rest of their clothes, and then he was pulling back, his blue eyes taking in the sight of her.

"God, you're beautiful," he said with his pupils blown.

Nina rolled her eyes, "you've seen me naked before, at your bachelor party. Remember?"

Minato's eyes flickered back to reality, "that was different and I really wish you hadn't brought that up."

She laughed at his unamused expression.

"I'm sorry," she said, kissing him and running her hand across his strong chest. "I'll make it up to you," she added lowly.

He pressed his lips to hers, and as he kissed her, grazing his teeth across her bottom lip, she trailed her hand down his chest, down his abs, lower, and wrapped her fingers around him.

He sighed against her and she wrapped her legs around him, not sure if she had ever wanted anyone so badly before.

Minato used his free arm to slide his hand under the small of her back and lifted her hips ever so slightly, and Nina rested her hands on his chest when he pushed into her.

She groaned and could feel her thighs tighten around him as her nails raked down across his chest.

His head dropped into the crook of her shoulder as he rocked his hips with a slow rhythm and Nina's head fell back into her pillow.

It couldn't feel anymore mind blowing then right there, that moment. After so long, to be able to touch him and kiss him like this, to not have to show restraint was something she wanted in the worst way, and every movement lit her body on fire.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling hard when his began to move faster, eliciting a low moan from his lips. His hand moved from the small of her back to her hips and squeezing there as he grinded into her.

Her breath was ragged as she leaned closer, kissing the base of his throat as her fingers knotted themselves in his hair, and nipped at the skin there, which made him groan and push harder into her. She gasped and arched into him, wrapping both of her arms around his neck and holding his gaze.

His eyes were half lidded and then he kissed her, frantic as their tongues wrestled, and her nails left marks down his chest and back.

Heat pooled in her stomach when she could feel his hips beginning to move faster and faster and when he brought his hand between her legs, rubbing his thumb in a circle in _that_ spot, and her head fell back at his touch and a loud groan came from her lips.

It was like she had been dipped in fire, and every inch of her seared at his touch. She could barely move, only anchoring herself to the moment through one arm wrapped around his neck with the other braced on his shoulder.

The heat in her stomach only continued to grow hotter and hotter before her legs squeezed impossibly tight around him and she gasped, seeing stars and riding out her ecstasy.

He wasn't far behind her, and he grunted when he finished, pulling away from her just before he did.

And then just like that, she was catching her breath and it was over, and his lips were soft and tender against hers again.

He lied down beside her and brought her closer, wrapping an arm around her as she rested her head on his chest.

She felt him kiss the top of her head and a smile snuck its way onto her face.

"I love you," Minato said, absentmindedly playing with a lock of her hair.

She propped herself up on her elbow and looked into those sky bright eyes.

"I love you too."

* * *

Yo I tried my hardest to get this up yesterday, but I couldn't access the site, and by the time I could, it was late and I decided to go to bed.

Last chapter will be up tomorrow along with the first chapter of my Tobirama story!


	21. Epilogue

Madara sighed and rubbed his forehead while Nina put on her best poker face along with Tsunade. The two of them kept giving each other side glances as Madara looked at them and narrowed his eyes.

"This is stupid," Madara said finally.

"How is it stupid?" Tsunade said back. "I'm supposed to be the house mom and only the house mom, but I'm the one taking care of your books and finances and all the things that you should probably hire an accountant for. I think this is the only logical progression of things. Nina, wouldn't you agree?"

Nina smirked, "I do, Tsunade."

"This is you punishing me for when you didn't get eighty percent of your tips that one time, isn't it?" Madara said with a grumble as he looked at Nina.

Nina didn't say anything, but she raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Madara huffed and picked up the pen and signed the papers that were sitting in front of him. The breath left Nina's lungs when he put the pen down after signing the dotted line and she squealed like a five-year-old, wrapping her arms around Tsunade's shoulders in excitement.

When Nina released Tsunade, she got up from her seat and walked over to Madara, hugging him around the neck with a grin on her face.

"Ugh," Madara muttered, but he didn't push her away.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You put her up to this, didn't you?" Madara asked Tsunade.

Tsunade only shrugged nonchalantly.

She had been the one to put Nina up to it, but Madara didn't have to know that for sure. Nina didn't want to go back to Konoha Enterprises, despite knowing that she was welcome there. She just didn't want to listen to the rumors that would have endlessly plagued her, and she didn't want to put Minato in a bad position. So when he asked her to come back, she told him that she didn't think it was a good idea.

Yet at the same time, she didn't want to strip anymore—and Minato _definitely_ didn't want her to either. So she needed to find a different job entirely, and that's where Tsunade came in with her idea. Tsunade was the house mom, the one who worked with the dancers and kept that side of the business running smoothly, but over the years her duties started to become more and more administrative since Madara refused to hire an outside accountant, and Tsunade was getting tired of dealing with the endless drama with the girls.

So her solution had been for Madara to let her do the administrative work while promoting Nina to house mom, so she could stay at the club without having to dance. And even though Madara initially put his foot down and said absolutely not, all it took was a stand off with Tsunade, and a few smiles from Nina, and he was begrudgingly signing the papers that would set everything in stone.

"It was that or have her quit," Tsunade commented.

"Can't have that," Madara agreed.

"Well I have to go now that that's all settled," Tsunade said, gathering her things to leave.

"Hot date?" Nina teased.

Tsunade smirked at her, "I don't think meeting for lunch is necessarily a hot date."

"But it's still a date," Nina pointed out.

Tsunade threw her a wink and got up from the table and left. When she was gone, Nina took the opportunity to speak one on one with Madara.

"I wanted to ask you something," Nina started.

"No," Madara deadpanned.

Nina ignored him, "the lawsuit with Konoha Enterprises… You were the one who told the Senju's about everything, weren't you? After the shooting?"

Madara folded his hands on the table and looked at her with those watchful eyes, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Nina smiled in spite of herself, "thank you."

A ghost of a smile could be seen on Madara's lips, but he never let it come to fruition. But that was good enough for Nina because it might as well have been a confession from the man.

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Another office party?" Fugaku asked, walking up to Nina where she sat at the bar and waited for some of the guys from the office to show up for Obito's promotion party, as he was finally out of the role of admin and being moved to sales with the likes of Kakashi, Guy, and Genma.

"Yes sir," Nina said. Fugaku nodded and made her a whiskey sour. She hadn't talked to him much since the shooting happened several weeks ago, and she really felt bad about it, but she wasn't sure what to say because she didn't want to lead the guy on.

"I thought you were done with office life," he said, casually leaning against the bar and crossing his arms.

"Oh I am," she said. "But my friend got promoted and I promised him I would be here to celebrate."

"So no more double life then?" He asked with a smirk.

"No," Nina confirmed. "I'm not dancing anymore though and that's good."

Fugaku nodded, "probably for the best."

If there was one thing that Nina liked most about Fugaku, it was that he didn't care about her past as a stripper. It didn't seem to bother him whatsoever, and Nina appreciated that more than he would ever know. Even when she first started at Konoha Enterprises and Minato knew about her being a stripper, he didn't like it. Sure, he accepted it, but he did not like it. Fugaku on the other hand understood.

Which made Nina think…

"You know," she started, leaning forward. Fugaku raised an eyebrow and walked a little closer to her.

"What?"

"There's this girl," she started and Fugaku laughed in spite of himself and already shook his head.

"Am I that helpless?"

"No!" Nina said, reaching her hand across the bar and grabbing onto his sleeve before he walked away from her. He huffed and frowned at her. "But she's really pretty and she's one of my girls and—"

"You're trying to set me up with a stripper?" Fugaku deadpanned.

"Uh hello, you're talking to a former one," she pointed out, gesturing to where she sat for extra effect. Fugaku sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I don't know, Nina," he said with a frown.

"Hey! _We_ got along great and I was a stripper when _we_ met!"

"We still do, but that doesn't change the fact that you are a giant pain in the ass," he said, his frown ghosting into a smirk. Nina couldn't help but hold in a laugh in spite of herself, picturing a certain man with blonde hair and blue eyes in the back of her head.

"That's what Minato says."

"Minato would be right," Fugaku teased.

"Rude," she said, though her tone was still lighthearted. "Come on. I think you two would get along great. She's a little shy," she stopped when Fugaku was narrowing his eyes.

"A shy stripper?"

"Hush," she said. "She's shy because she's still pretty new. Her name is Mikoto, she's gorgeous, and I think you two would get along great. How 'bout it? Can I give her your number?"

Fugaku huffed but shrugged, "yeah, okay."

"Hey, Dimples!"

"There's your cue," Fugaku said to her, giving her a wicked smirk as he wiped the bar down. Nina grinned at him and got off the bar stool to see Genma with some of the other sales guys walking into Kaguya's.

"When you coming back?" Genma asked, splitting off from the rest of the salesmen and swinging an arm around her shoulders.

"Well hello to you too, Genma," Nina said. "And I'm not."

"Breaking my heart, Dimples. I miss having a pretty face in the office," Genma said, letting her go. He then looked around, "better not let Minato hear that or else he'll wring my neck."

Since Nina wasn't at Konoha Enterprises anymore, she was able to forget that pretty much everyone there knew that Minato and Kushina had ended things, and that he was now with her instead. Hearing Genma bring it up so casually was enough to make her feel so awkward that she actually questioned why she came in the first place.

"Something tells me that significant others wringing your neck is not a rare occurrence," she teased.

Genma snickered, "because it's not."

She laughed with him, but parted ways when she saw Obito standing with some of the other salesmen.

"Obito!" She called out, not wanting to walk over the group of them. She liked the salesmen enough, but sometimes they could be intimidating, especially when Kakashi and Guy were in the middle of one of their weird competitions.

Obito saw her and his face lit up, walking away from the salesmen and over to Nina, hugging her without missing a beat.

"I'm glad you made it!"

"And miss out on your big promotion? No way," Nina said, putting her cocktail to her lips and taking a sip. Her eyes scanned around the room, looking for who all was there, and was glad to see a good turnout. She didn't think she would be able to stand if it no one was there to support Obito.

"Good because I wouldn't forgive you if you didn't show," he remarked, looking around the room.

"Looking for someone?"

Obito's eyes flashed to hers, "actually, I am. I hear Jiraiya is bringing a girl with him and I'm dying to see who."

Nina raised an eyebrow. From what she heard about Jiraiya and his womanizing ways, it didn't sound particularly odd for him to bring a woman. But with the way Obito said it, she was curious.

Then there was a hand on the small of her back and Nina didn't even have to look to see who it was, as she already felt him kiss the side of her head.

"Obito, congratulations! I'm glad we finally got you out of the role of an admin," Minato said. He smiled at Obito and Nina's heart warmed, knowing how proud Minato was of the dark haired boy. Sure, he ran the office _really_ freaking well, but Obito deserved a better position, and one that didn't consist of him fighting with Shikaku Nara for binders and bringing coffee to Minato all day long.

Speaking of…

Nina craned her neck around Minato to see if Shikaku was anywhere to be found, frowning when she came up empty handed.

"Thank you!" Obito beamed. "Hopefully the temp can handle your inability to brew a cup of coffee."

Obito shot a look at Nina and the two of them laughed, resulting in Minato rolling his eyes.

"I can work the coffee machine!" Minato argued.

"Sure you can," Obito remarked.

Minato shook his head, about to walk away and said, "well I'll be around. I'm going to go meet Jiraiya's new girlfriend."

Obito's dark eyes doubled in side and he looked at Nina the minute Minato left her side, looking way too excited to see who Jiraiya was with. Nina didn't necessarily see _why_ he was so excited, but maybe that was just because Jiraiya had been nothing but an ass to her. But from what she heard from Obito, he didn't really have a bad thing to say about the guy.

As to keep Obito happy, Nina looked over her shoulder and kept her eyes steady on Minato's figure as he headed over to Jiraiya and his girlfriend.

" _Tsunade_?" Nina blurted, just completely and utterly astonished.

"Holy shit look at her—" Obito didn't finish that sentence because Nina was shooting him a glare. She didn't need to listen to him talk about Tsunade's chest. Really. She didn't need to hear it. She had to hear it all the time at Mangekyo and didn't want Obito hopping on the bandwagon either.

Obito cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly at Nina, "I take it you know her?"

"She managed the dancers at Mangekyo," Nina answered, her tone firm and making it clear that this conversation was not going to go any further. Obito put his hands up in defeat and left it at that.

Nina then turned her attention away from Tsunade and Jiraiya, and caught sight of Shikaku talking to Choza and Inoichi not far away.

She turned to Obito, "I'm gonna go talk to Shikaku real quick."

Obito nodded and walked over to the salesmen, Nina watching him like a hawk at first to make sure none of them messed with him. But thankfully Genma was nodding at him when he approached and brought him into their circle.

Feeling better now that she knew Obito was okay, she walked over to Shikaku, and he caught her eye right away, stepping away from Choza and Inoichi and giving her a lazy smirk.

"Dimples, it's been a minute."

"It has," she said, glad to see the scarred man. "How's the new admin? Ordering enough binders for you?"

Shikaku chuckled, "I've started copying Obito to the emails I send when I ask for new binders, just to piss him off."

Nina actually laughed, despite knowing how mad Obito probably got when he saw them, and covered her mouth as she did.

"You're an awful man."

Shikaku shrugged, "it's good to keep him humble."

"I just wanted to say thank you. You've been really great, and I'm sorry I didn't come back to the office," she said, playing with the straw in her cocktail.

Shikaku gave her an encouraging smile, "what can I say? You grew on me. And that's all right. No one says anything bad about you, if you're worried, but maybe it is for the best. Plus, I doubt the Senju's would be amused at their CEO dating his administrative assistant."

"Heaven forbid they're unhappy," Nina remarked.

"Eh, life's easier when they're not," Shikaku said. He was then giving her his usual smirk again, "I still think you and Minato should come over for dinner one night. Yoshino would love to entertain you two."

"I'll see if I can convince him," Nina assured. She'd love to meet the woman who married Shikaku Nara. She heard him mention from time to time that she was one of the most troublesome women that he knew, and Nina couldn't help but find it completely endearing. She could only imagine what the two of them were like together.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Shikaku remarked, nodding his head where Minato was coming back over to her. Shikaku winked at her, "I'll leave you two alone."

Nina rolled her eyes at Shikaku, but smiled nonetheless when Minato reached her.

"So Jiraiya," she started, her eyes darting over to where the white haired man was standing with _Tsunade_ of all people.

"Yeah," Minato said, rubbing the back of his head and giving her a sheepish smile. "He's Jiraiya. What can I say?"

Nina shrugged. She seemed to be the only person on the planet who had a problem with the man and CFO of Konoha Enterprises.

"He gave me some updates about Danzo," Minato said, his voice dropping just a bit. Nina raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Apparently there's enough information to criminally prosecute him, and the board definitely wants to go ahead with that."

"Wow," Nina said. It was good to know that all those phone calls she had with Konoha Enterprises attorneys weren't for nothing. "Well good. He deserves it."

"He really does," Minato agreed.

"I'm glad he'll be in prison," Nina muttered, thinking about her father and Minato getting shot on that horrible day. It all worked out in the end for the best, but the fact that Danzo put them in that position was something she would never forget.

"Me too… But anyway, Jiraiya won't say anything to you right away, but I wanted to let you know that he's actually feels really sorry for the way he treated you."

Nina felt her eyebrows furrow, "oh?"

Minato gave her a knowing look, "I'm serious. His ego is just a little bruised right now, but he really does feel sorry about the things he said to you. Just try to give him a chance? He really is a great guy."

Nina held back a sigh. She knew Minato loved Jiraiya, along with everyone else for that matter, and she might have been able to forgive the guy. But forget everything? Yeah… She spent too many years working with Madara Uchiha to forget things like that. But still…

"I'll let the Jiraiya thing go on one condition," she said.

"What's that?" Minato asked.

"We have to go to Shikaku's for dinner one night."

Minato very clearly was not expecting that, as his blue eyes looked away from her and searched for Shikaku momentarily, before flickering back to hers. He looked slightly confused, but more amused than anything else.

"That's a little random. But sure, we can make that happen," he said, laughing just barely, still slightly caught off guard.

"Great, I'll hold you to it," she said, standing up on her tip toes to quickly kiss him on the lips.

Minato smiled broadly at her, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Come on. I told Jiraiya I would bring you over to meet his girlfriend," Minato said, pulling her in the direction he had just come from.

Nina's eyes flashed to Tsunade, and the woman threw a wink at her which Nina smirked at and returned.

"Yeah… About that…"

* * *

"Just get rid of the place. You're never there anyway and it's just eating up all of your income," Minato said one night after dinner. Nina rubbed the back of her neck and collapsed into the sofa, resting against the arm of it as he came over to sit next to her.

"What if something happens and I need it?" She shot back.

"Like what?" Minato asked.

She crossed her arms and huffed.

Fine. Her apartment in The Valley was a shithole. No surprise there. And okay, fine. She was at Minato's literally ninety percent of the time anyway, but still. Her apartment had been her home for so many years. The minute she moved out of her dad's crappy place and into her _own_ crappy place had been a milestone. Who cared if The Valley wasn't very safe? She was just fine living there, and heaven forbid something were to happen to her father again and he would have to come back to her for refuge. Could she imagine Kai Sato crashing on Minato's couch, nursing a bottle of Jack Daniels as he did?

Yeah right.

"I don't know! What if my dad needs to stay with me again!"

Minato huffed, "then he can stay here."

Nina didn't miss the way Minato seemed to actually to shiver at the possibility.

"You don't mean that," Nina said.

"I do," he promised, looking at her with those bright blue eyes. He moved closer to her and snaked his arm around her waist, trying to hold her gaze. "You don't have to get rid of it, but I don't know. I think it would be a good idea."

Nina sighed. She hated when he went all puppy dog on her. How was she supposed to keep her nerve when he did that?

"But why?" She pressed.

Minato huffed, "why do you have to be such a pain in the ass?"

Nina laughed in spite of herself and gaped at him, "excuse you!"

"I'm asking you to move in with me, Nina." He was looking at her with a steady gaze again, one that was both endearing and smoldering.

Nina bit down on the inside of her cheek. He was really serious about this, wasn't he?

"You sure?" She asked, her voice way softer than she intended.

The corners of Minato's lips quirked upward, "I'm positive."

She didn't have to give it all that much thought. Despite the fact that she really didn't want to give up her apartment, she could see where he was coming from. And well, after everything he had done for her, she supposed she could give him this one. The guy took a bullet for her after all. Officially moving in with him when she was already ninety percent moved in as it was? Yeah... She could make that work. And in all honesty, she practically lived with him already.

"Fine. I'll call my landlord next week. Happy?" She teased.

Minato's entire face lit up and then he was kissing her quickly. Nina smiled against his lips and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did and pulling him closer to her.

Yeah. He was definitely happy.

And finally, she was too.

* * *

That's all folks! I know it's not perfect, but I hope that everything turned out all right overall. There are definitely things I would change, but I think it's not too bad for my first full length fic. Thank you SO MUCH to EVERYONE who left a review! The support and feedback means so much to me. You guys have been so incredible.

Thank you for all the support (:


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